More Than A Good Feeling
by Fiona Fargazer
Summary: (Part 2 of TR story) After the events of So What's to Get, Kojiro decides that he is tired of stealing pokémon and wants to go home, much to the horror of his teammates. As Musashi and Nyaasu fail to convince him that this is a bad idea, they can only follow him and hope he knows what he's doing. More info inside.
1. The Decision

JMJ

_NOTE: Before reading there are a few things to know. One is that this is the sequel of a digimon/pokémon crossover _So What's to Get_, but as the crossover part of it is no longer involved it did not feel right to place this story in the crossover section. The rules aren't clear with situations like this, but if anyone knows otherwise, please tell me and I'll move it to the crossover section anyway. _

_The story also has elements of both the Japanese and English. I haven't seen enough of the Japanese for it to be entirely Japanese. I leave all the pokémon names in English except Nyaasu (Meowth) and I leave all the human names in Japanese except for the boss Giovanni (I think his name is Sasaki in Japanese, but I just like his English name so there) Also the dialogue and motto, etc is more based off the Japanese version. Once I've seen the original Japanese version of an animé I never want to go back, but as it is that I have only been able to see minimal stuff with Pokémon in Japanese there are some things from the English (the stinky 4Kids dub — if they only translated things better and weren't so creepy .) Also, I purposely left "Team Rocket" in its English form. "Team Rocket" just sounds more organized than "Rocket Gang", but maybe "dan" is not translatable. I don't know; I don't speak much Japanese. There is little AU involved as well because they are in the Hoenn timeline. Thus in this story anything that happens in the Sinnoh Region onward is nonexistent. Also Team Rocket has their older pokémon: Arbok, Lickitongue, Weezing, and Victreebell,__ but I still wanted to mention Wabafet and Chimecho throughout the story, because although I like Arbok and Weezing better as Team Rocket's pokémon than Seviper and Cacnea (and also wanted Victreebel and Lickitongue to there too), Chimecho and Wabafet amused my sister and me too much for me to leave them out of the fic entirely. With Wabafet, I suppose it was just backwards with Musashi accidently trading for Lickitongue (better bargain anyway), and the whole Chimecho thing is pretty much the same, I suppose, except there's no Mime Junior involved in when Chimecho leaves (I never seen the eps with Mime Junior anyway). Any other AU type things I will make separate notes for as the story goes along._

_I like to think of this story as sort of my take on the characters. Most of the basic rules and character traits are still intact but with a little bit of my own spin to things. If you're a Marvel or DC reader, it's kinda like when a different writer comes and makes a sort of long graphic novel or special._

_Oh, and also this story is based off of something my sister and I made up together, so she gets credit for much of the plot._

_Also if you don't wish to read the first story (I understand crossovers aren't for everyone; I don't like them most of the time myself) here's a brief summary without the crossover part of it of the events before this story takes place: Team Rocket ends up lost in a strange place. Kojiro (James) gets separated and lost. The others search for him but cannot find him anywhere. Thus Kojiro ends up wandering around hopelessly befuddled in his usual way. He has a terrible time too being bitten in the arm, having to wander through a desert searching desperately for Musashi (Jessie) and Nyaasu (Meowth). He eventually is captured by a queen who lives under the desert, and he is auctioned off, but he escapes with the help of another prisoner. Unfortunately, this other prisoner was tricking him like everyone else in the place. Kojiro he is told that Nyaasu and Musashi are dead and he willingly allows himself to be taken to a dark tower in his misery at this "realization". Those at the tower try to use Kojiro as a pawn in their game to take over everything. However as a consequence of the situation Kojiro realizes some things about himself, and because he is rescued just before the complete destruction of his mind and soul can take place, the experience in the long run ended up making him see his life from a different perspective for the better. Free and with Musashi and Nyaasu again, Kojiro is still mentally exhausted, but his teammates are eager to get moving. Musashi has the tougher time out of the two, for Nyaasu understands Kojiro more than she does about their lives (or if she does she's in denial). Kojiro starts to have a strong desire to reform his life and not just in the sense of simply quitting Team Rocket; he doesn't want to be a dweeb anymore either. Musashi just can't handle all this. A crony of the tower that had tried to brainwash Kojiro takes advantage of the situation by taking Musashi in her troubled state instead to be their pawn only this time by tricking her into thinking that they want to make her their fairy tale empress (she is not aware that the crony is from the same tower that had tried to brainwash Kojiro). Nyaasu takes action, thinking that he get snap Musashi out of it and drags a still recovering Kojiro off to the Disney-esque cottage behind the waterfall where Musashi is overseeing the construction of her palace. Eventually what ends up happening however is that Musashi (missing her companions) has them dragged back after their failure at convincing her to leave. Nyaasu and her get into an argument, and she orders Nyaasu to be punished. Kojiro knows that the possibility of the torturers killing Nyaasu is very high, and in his fear and fury pushes Musashi away and tries to rescue Nyaasu. Instead he finds proof that Musashi is being tricked, because everything in the cottage is an illusion that can only be seen through a mirror. He brings it to Musashi. Musashi freaks out, and after he rescues Nyaasu from death, he and Musashi escape. After a bit more wandering around, they help some restaurant owners who had been kind to them and cured Nyaasu of his injuries. They chase some minions of the tower that are looking for them away from the restaurant and then go have _yana kanji_ (blasting off again). When they land, they are back in Hoenn, but the end is unclear about what they are going to do now._

_And if you'd like just a taste of the first fanfic, some chapters I would suggest are "Love and Truth", "Nyaasu", "First Thing Next Time" possibly "Black Hole", "Rise of the Jade Empress", "__Golden Opportunities and Silver Platters", and "Mirror on the Wall". But if the summary above is sufficient for you that's just fine too, or if you're readers who have followed the story from the beginning welcome back! _

_Most Japanese phrases are written with the help of my sister who is learning Japanese.  
_

_So! If you think it won't be too confusing with these little oddities, enjoy your read!_

* * *

PROLOGUE

_Kojiro had never been to town by himself before. He had hardly been on a single street outside a vehicle in that town before. In fact, before this day, he only once or twice remembered being in town at all. His parents thought the nearby town quite insignificant and meaningless as towns go and did not bother with it. If his parents wanted to go on an outing, they would go to the city and often out of the entire region, for Kanto was not exactly known for its vacationing spots as much as other regions were — not that his family often took him on vacations anyway, especially recently with all the school he had to do._

"_But not anymore!" He told Gar-Chan beside him as the little boy trudged his way toward the lights of the town through the heavy, wet snow."Never again!"_

_Now, his decision was naturally not based on the fact that he had never been allowed into town on his own. He was eight years old, after all, and being the well-known son of an insanely wealthy family it would be dangerous for him. He remembered all the facts about kidnappings and ransoms, his father gave him when he strayed in his absent way from his parents by accident on any sort of outing. The concern for his welfare was entirely understandable._

_The decision had nothing to do with his education either. He had accepted the constant tutoring as part of life and knew nothing else. It was not even that his parents left him behind when they went on vacations together on island paradises or mountain resorts. No, this had all to do with one thing. One thing last summer, and Kojiro could not believe he had not thought of running away before now._

_He would never marry that girl. Not in a million years. He vowed a few days before he left to never marry anyone and to remain single for the rest of his life! But he would never be able to keep that promise unless he took drastic measures, and finally this day he knew what he had to do._

_With determination like he never knew before, he pushed on through the snow even as the icy wind tried to rip him back the other way. The very elements seemed to be under the domineering rule of his aristocratic life and it was trying to make him go back to it. He felt tears form in his eyes, but he refused to stop, even as Gar-Chan nudged him and whined as if asking his young master if this was really a smart thing to do._

Well, if I thought of it in the summertime it would have been a lot easier_, he thought gloomily._

_But he could hardly wish that now. At least the miserable snow and cold and dismal dark sky matched the mood._

_Christmas peeked around the corner, only a few days away, and although most of the time he looked forward to Christmas with the greatest relish of any child, he knew this year would be different. There would be a party. A party meant guests. Guests meant …_

"_Rumika," squeaked Kojiro, choking on another sob._

_She would come to the estate often enough even when his parents were not hosting a party!_

_Never again! Never again! Kojiro would never be pushed around. No one could be more unloved, more unwanted than he was. His dog was the only one who truly cared or tried to understand him._

_It reminded him of a movie he had seen not long ago on television about a little boy and his dog in one of the far-off regions of the West a long time ago. He had associated himself with the little boy immediately, most likely because of his introverted nature and more importantly because the dog happened to be a growlithe. Also the fact that his entire life had been ruined by a girl did not help much either._

_The village came in close now. Kojiro could see the cars and the buildings and the Christmas decorations. Just over the hill. So very close. He had money in his pocket for a train ride. When the train arrived, Kojiro did not know, but he thought for sure he knew where the station was once he reached the town._

_Another blast of freezing wind cut across his face. His scarf slipped, and his fingers were so cold he did not want to remove them from his pockets. Hunger rumbled in his stomach too, and he wished he had brought more food. A few frozen rice balls and a block of ice in a water bottle in his traveling bag were certainly not going to be enough, he realized, but he would just have to manage._

_Everyone hated him, just like everyone hated that boy in that movie, and all because of a girl just like the boy in that movie, and now it was close to Christmas and he was wandering around just like that movie too. He was not sure how much longer he would be able to go on. Perhaps he would not make it to the train station now._

"_Grow?" asked Gar-Chan worriedly._

"_I-i-i-it can't be much further now," said Kojiro, his teeth chattering as he spoke, and he took his first step past the first building of town._

_Gar-chan did not look so sure._

_In the movie, the little boy found love in the end, but were books more real than movies?_

_Shortly after he had seen the movie, Kojiro had been allowed to choose a book (within certain literary boundaries of course) for his next school book report, and immediately he chose the book after which that movie had been made. It turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments Kojiro had ever had in reading material. He read the book within three days, and by the time he had reached the end, the book had been torn to shreds by the unsteady hands of a boy sobbing and whining how the little boy in the story and his dog had frozen to death._

_Of all the stupidest most pointless stories in the whole world!_

_It just wasn't fair! It just wasn't!_

_Recalling the story to mind, Kojiro felt hot tears beginning to well up in his eyes again, and he stopped suddenly quite rigidly._

_Gar-chan whimpered and nudged his master again._

_Life was so cruel, so vile, so uncaring. Oh, it just wasn't fair! Why couldn't life be like the movies, huh? Was that so hard?_

_Looking down at his dog he collapsed onto his knees and hugged the creature very tightly with all childish melodrama. For it must be admitted that it was not nearly as cold or as dark as he pretended it to be. Nor was the snow nearly as deep. It can only safely be said that he had not been exaggerating Rumika. Rumika did not need to be exaggerated._

Exchange your growlithe for a skitty. Wear that outfit in this picture. Eat only after I finished what I want. Carry me across the threshold. Dance with me to this song in this way with your left foot first. Don't sigh and slouch just because no adults are around.

_As if he did not have enough people ordering him around already!_

_Kojiro could take it no more! With a theatrical wave of his hand, he fell back into the snow with the fateful words, "Farewell this unfortunate world." He closed his eyes and felt surely he would die._

_Gar-Chan licked his master's motionless form in an attempt to get him to stop acting so strangely. They were just going for a walk, after all. There was no need to get that dramatic about it even if a train ride was involved._

_A few minutes later, a car approached and stopped right in front of him. Only then did Kojiro lift his weary head, and who should emerge from the vehicle but a police officer? The officer stepped out onto the road, and looking upon the scene before her, she immediately knew what was going on as she took in the boy, the dog, the pack. With a heavy sigh and a shake of her head, she helped the miserable boy to his feet._

"_You're parents are looking for you, Kojiro," she said._

_Although, he lowered his head with a face full of childish remorse, Kojiro said nothing at all in reply._

_The officer lifted him into the car, and it was not long before Kojiro found himself and Gar-chan at the police station. The hot chocolate was good but the sternness of the officers was not. The franticness of his mother and the anger of his father proved harder to handle. Not that the police officer could have detected these emotions in the tall, stolid, unmoving figures standing in the doorway. Only someone who lived with them could see past their stiff forms enough to know they were at least a little distraught; though, little Kojiro sensed a lot more anger than relief from his parents. Nevertheless, the moment the door opened into his massive, cheerless house, he fell into his mother's arms and cried pitifully …_

CHAPTER ONE:

The Decision

"Nya-a-ah …!"

The deep yawn that escaped the wide jaws might as well have been that of a roaring Ursaring as Nyaasu stretched himself awake that morning. The size of his mouth could become insanely large, large enough to swallow the heads of his human partners at the same time, as strange a concept as that was. As his mouth clamped shut again, and Nyaasu murmured unintelligibly even to himself, he slowly opened his eyes, and a satisfied smile stretched out across his face. The more accustomed he grew to his surroundings, the wider his grin became until he might as well have been the Cheshire Cat. After all, he was a talking feline already, but his joy did not come from madness.

This morning happened to be the second morning he had woken to the faded green wicker strands of the inside of the hot air balloon basket in … how long had it been?

"Must be months, nya," Nyaasu muttered to himself.

They had only been away from that strange world for a couple days and already the events seemed to be fading away like the dream he had had last night, but surely it had happened. He could not deny it as he felt the crack in his koban with a paw. The fires and beatings of torture still haunted the back of Nyaasu's mind when those insane creatures had obeyed Musashi's careless order of punishing him.

Nyaasu shuddered and could not help but leer at Musashi's gently sleeping form, curled up on the other side of the basket like a kitty cat herself. She looked surprisingly innocent when she slept, but Nyaasu knew perfectly well what she was capable of, and she still had not apologized for it even if it had been under dark influence that she had made that decision to have Nyaasu beaten.

A sudden urge to scratch her with a full fury swipes over her peaceful face pulsed through Nyaasu like water making a sudden gush from a hand pump, but it dissipated as quickly as it had come. He turned sharply away instead, and calming again, he looked idly about him, wondering in a careless manner where Kojiro had gotten himself, for Nyaasu found him nowhere in sight.

Granted, Nyaasu's only sight included the inside of the green basket and the empty sky above it.

With a shrug, Nyaasu leapt up onto the brim, and lifting a paw over his eyes, he scanned the area out in front of him. He could not help but grin again at the sight of Hoenn. Hoenn truly was a lovely land, especially after one had been trouncing months in savage jungles and relentless grey deserts. Green as far as the eye could see until the soft blue mountains far in the distance faded into the deep sky above. He almost forgot he had been scanning for Kojiro until suddenly he heard a very cheerful voice say, "Breakfast!"

"Nyah!" Nyaasu cried, and losing his balance, he fell right back into the balloon, just missing Musashi.

Musashi woke up, and groggily watched Nyaasu pull himself back to his feet and roll his eyes back to where the voice had come from.

Eyes wide with concern in that blank absurdity that only Kojiro could accomplish, Kojiro stared into the basket and said, "Uh, breakfast," much softer this time.

Normally, Nyaasu would have taken this opportunity to slam something over Kojiro's head and scratch him, but he really was not in the mood. The events of just days before, although as stated before were becoming dreamlike, still had a strong enough hold on his mind to keep him in a state of mild sobriety for the time being in which conking someone over the head just did not seem worth the effort. Instead, Nyaasu graced Kojiro with a dangerous leer, which in itself did not last long for the simple fact that the breakfast Kojiro had mentioned did not seem at all like a bad idea.

Leaping back upon onto the basket rim, he immediately grabbed hold of the takeout bag still in Kojiro's grip, and peered at the covered boxes of udan, rice, and chicken inside. Oh, and it smelled absolutely gorgeous!

Licking his lips, Nyaasu snatched a box and a pair of chopsticks.

Kojiro smiled and turned his attention to Musashi who was now quite upright at the mention of breakfast.

"Gimme some of that!" she demanded, holding out her hands.

Graciously Kojiro lifted the box and the chopsticks out for her as if he were handing a golden platter to a noble peer in an ancient palace.

The box was opened immediately in Musashi's hands, and she took a massive bite.

"Oh, this is so good!" cried Musashi before she had a chance to swallow.

Nyaasu was already half way through his box of udan as Kojiro finally got to his box of udan. With a satisfied smile, he began to eat with deep and happy relish. He had forgotten too, perhaps that in the company of Team Rocket speed was the key to any meal, and by the time he finished with his udan, he was met with disappointment in finding only one small piece of chicken and absolutely no rice left for him.

With a scowl, he snatched the chicken quickly before either of his companions could take it, and with a strange sigh, he slowly and with a little less relish ate his tiny piece.

"Where'd you get this?" asked Musashi pleasantly, she was still finishing off her rice.

"N-yeah," said Nyaasu carelessly, "after all that gobbly goop you were talking about before I would of thought you wouldn't be going dishonest right away, nya."

"I did get it honestly," said Kojiro a little defensively.

Musashi frowned. "Uh, Kojiro," she said. "In case you forgot again, we don't have any money. Whadja do? Agree to wash dishes for them?"

Kojiro twiddled his fingers a little and smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I …" he began. "I didn't think we'd be needing that Team Rocket equipment so …"

Nyaasu and Musashi stared. Now it was their turn to look blank.

"You sold it," breathed Musashi.

Kojiro gulped and instinctively threw his hands over his head to protect himself from any oncoming blow.

"I didn't know you'd care!" Kojiro squeaked. "And we _had_ to eat!"

"I never said anything about quitting Team Rocket!" Musashi snapped.

Nyaasu eyed Musashi strangely. "Nya, you didn't actually say it, but …"

"Shut up!" Musashi barked, and with a sweep of her hand she knocked Nyaasu out of the balloon.

"Nya!" cried the cat, landing on the other side, but he was up within seconds and holding out his claws with which to swipe that satisfied scowl off that woman's face. "What was that for, nya?!" And he made to leap back up into the basket to really show her who was boss around here.

Kojiro barred the way, throwing his arms out in front of him.

"Hey, hey! You guys, we don't have to fight!" he cried.

With lower teeth jutting out of his lip, Nyaasu set his paws on the ground gorilla style and growled.

"Yes, we do, nya."

"Come on, Nyaasu!"

Musashi drew her arms over her chest.

"If you don't watch it _you'll_ be the one you'll have to watch out for," she muttered, and turning away she added under her breath barely audibly, "selling our Team Rocket equipment."

There was a dangerous pause, and even Nyaasu had to stare at Musashi uneasily.

"_What did you do that for_!?" Musashi finally screamed.

"But you said you liked the food!" Kojiro whined.

"But you didn't have to sell our equipment!" Musashi returned, leaping out of the basket now. "You could have sold your stupid bottle cap collection instead! We need that equipment if we're going to catch pokémon, _baka_!" Musashi snarled.

Nyaasu looked at Musashi and then he turned to Kojiro. Kojiro apparently had nothing to say to that, and it probably was better for him that he did not reply anyway. Then glancing idly to Musashi once more, he waited to see what volcano brains would do next.

Strangely enough, she had digressed somewhat. Looking away, she grumbled, "I thought once we got home you'd be back to normal."

An uncanny flicker of rage passed over Kojiro's eyes then, and that in itself caused Nyaasu to step back a little. It was always a dangerous thing when Kojiro got determined, and Nyaasu had no desire to hear what strange thought would come out of that head.

"Kojiro …" he started to warn.

With a stubborn pout, Kojiro turned away.

"I don't care what you do, Musashi, I don't want to catch stupid pokémon."

"Then what do you want to do, nya?" demanded Nyaasu before Musashi could say a word.

His usual manner returned and he stared wide-eyed in confusion as those strange gears of his wound in his cranium. Lowering his head and twiddling slightly, he murmured strange sounds of thought, "Er", "Um", "well, I", "Eh".

"Well!?" snapped Musashi.

Kojiro cringed and then slumped down even more as he muttered his response so softly that his partners had to strain to hear.

"I was thinking about just going home," he said, though Nyaasu and Musashi only caught "home."

That proved quite enough for either of them, however, and they leapt back in horror as if he had suddenly produced a sizzling stick of TNT in his hands and laughed maniacally about it. At first they stood frozen, trying to convince themselves that they must have heard wrong, but upon slowly turning to each other, they knew they had both heard the same thing.

After a moment, Nyaasu recalled that this had not been the first time that Kojiro had said this. When they were lost and miserable in that strange land they had escaped from, Kojiro had said something or other about going home again and helping his parents and all that, but Nyaasu had brushed it off afterwards as just things that people say under strenuous circumstances. This could no longer be considered strenuous circumstances. Quitting Team Rocket, well, that Nyaasu could understand, but going back to that insane house with those insane people and that incredibly insane woman who upon becoming the woman of the estate would make its current state seem like sanity in comparison. That Nyaasu could not understand.

Maybe Musashi was right. Maybe, Kojiro really had lost it!

With mouths hanging open and eyes still wide with disgusted surprise slowly Musashi and Nyaasu returned to Kojiro.

Nyaasu had only been to his house once, and he never wanted to step foot in that abomination again unless, of course it was just a quick stop in the kitchen for an all you can grab buffet, but Nyaasu doubted that was Kojiro's plan.

Kojiro looked down at his feet uneasily and dared not lift his eyes to his friends.

"_WHY!_?" Musashi finally cried.

That broke the spell, and everyone unfroze.

"Are you ny-uts, nya!?" Nyaasu shouted, leaping up onto Kojiro's shoulder and throwing his paws above his head. "You kny-ow what they'll do if you go back there?!"

"They'll make you marry that freak!" Musashi cried.

"They'll tie you up, and you won't escape until the last second of the ceremony's past, and then Rumika will chain you up against the wall, nya!" Nyaasu insisted, now shaking his paws in front of Kojiro's face as if that would somehow get through his thick head better.

"I know what'll happen!" Kojiro snapped, stomping his foot on the ground.

Nyaasu jumped off and landed on the basket brim, Musashi simply let her mouth drop again and she glared.

"You're going to marry Rumika, Kojiro?" said Musashi. She growled. "You can't be that desperate!"

"I'm not going to marry Rumika!" Kojiro shouted back, shaking with emotion. "I'll _never_ marry her!"

Nyaasu shrugged carelessly, finally recovering from the initial shock of all this. "If you go back it's ny-ot like you'll have much of a choice, nya."

Kojiro bit his lip, and once more lowered his head.

"Well," he said sheepishly. "I was just thinking about saying … no."

Once again Musashi and Nyaasu stopped to stare at him, only this time it was with lazy lids and raised brows.

"Uh, Kojiro," said Musashi after a short pause. "You know your parents better than we do, and uh, do you think if you just said no, they would actually listen to you?"

"I don't know," Kojiro admitted. "I … never tried it." He shook his head, shaking away doubt and uneasiness giving himself totally to his strange determination that by now, his companions realized was unstoppable (and as dangerous) as a runaway train on the wrong line. "But I'm tired of running away!" he said; he was even beginning to pace. "I've been running away for so long, and I'm tired of it! I can't do it anymore."

"Don't give up, nya!" said Nyaasu cheerfully. "We'll help you keep running."

"No!" said Kojiro. "You're not listening. I don't care if you guys come with me, but I'm going home. My parents … need me."

"They ny-eed more than that," Nyaasu grumbled.

"Yeah," Musashi agreed. "They need therapy, and they might not be the only ones."

Kojiro frowned, and without another word, he climbed into the basket and squatted inside.

Musashi and Nyaasu spun around and peered after him.

"Kojiro, what are you doing?" asked Musashi.

"Packing," said Kojiro, shoving his bag of bottle caps, his hair gel, his comb, and a few other items into the restaurant take out bag.

"You're ny-ot really going through with this, are you, nya?" Nyaasu asked.

"Yes, I am," replied Kojiro without looking up.

"Are you sure?" Musashi asked skeptically.

"More sure than I've been about anything in a long time," Kojiro returned.

Nyaasu glanced at Musashi. "He means it, nya."

"He's crazy," muttered Musashi.

With a huff, Kojiro exited the basket and marched passed the other two with his paper satchel as he made for the road.

"Or fed up, nya," said Nyaasu in a similar tone as they watched him leave without an attempt at stopping him.

Musashi raised a brow to the cat.

"What, you're actually siding with him?" she wanted to know.

"Ny-ot really, nya," said Nyaasu, "but we can't let him go by himself."

"I wasn't going to," replied Musashi darkly.

"Then why are you just sitting here?" asked Nyaasu with a sly grin.

A black-gloved fist lifted above Nyaasu's head, but Musashi, instead recoiled it and spun around after her partner.

"Kojiro!" she snapped.

Kojiro stopped.

"Why don't you take the balloon?" she demanded.

Slowly Kojiro turned around with a face blank with confusion.

"It would be faster, you kny-ow," Nyaasu pointed out.

"You mean …" Kojiro hardly dared to ask.

"Yes, we're coming with you," Musashi snapped. "What, you think we're going to let you go to your parents' house by yourself! You'll be eaten alive!"

In a light sprint Kojiro appeared again in front of them.

"Oh, Musashi," he sobbed, clasping his hands together as his eyes watered and a goofy grin spread out pitifully across his glowing red face. "_Arigatou_."

Musashi's eyes softened.

"Well, if you think you're going to help your parents, someone's gotta be there to help you, nya?" said Nyaasu lifting a paw.

Kojiro wiped a tear from his eye on his arm. (He had lost his outer uniform shirt and now only had the short-sleeved black one, so it was his bare arm.) "Oh,you guys … thank you so much. You don't really have to do this."

"But only until you get things worked out!" Musashi said, holding up a finger. "I don't want to stay there anymore than I have to."

"Me ny-either, nya!" Nyaasu agreed.

"And I don't want _you_ to stay there any more than we have to either," said Musashi most dangerously.

"I understand, I know, don't worry, I get it," said Kojiro, beaming, and he could not help himself as he leapt onto his friends and hugged them tightly. He even cried in his unexpected pleasure.

But neither Musashi nor Nyaasu minded the hug from their awkward friend. This was just something Kojiro needed to get out of his system. That was all. Then they could get on with their lives.

_Whatever that really means_, Nyaasu thought, just a little dryly.

* * *

Baka: stupid, idiot

Aritgatou: Thank you


	2. Bride Horror Revisited

JMJ

CHAPTER TWO:

Bride Horror Revisited

If home is where the heart is, this was the place that was farthest from for Kojiro. If home is supposed to be sweet, why was it that the moment the house came into view, Kojiro began to feel a slight sour taste in his mouth? He could not imagine a warm hearth. Even in the heat of the late summer sun, he felt shivers as he thought of stepping through the massive beasts that were the doors to that house.

Landing the balloon across the bridge from where the giant piece of architecture rose like an ominous mountain out of the flat green plains and soft undergrowth of trees, Kojiro found himself hoping that his parents would still be off in the north for the summer, but summer was drawing to a close, he remembered. Either way the servants would notify his parents of his presence and his parents, even if they were half way round the world, would be in his face within moments flying the fastest way possible back home. But Kojiro would not let himself be daunted.

Hands clutching stubbornly over the side of the basket brim, Kojiro leapt over the side even before everything had been completely shut down or the bulging nyaasu head of the balloon had completely deflated. The other two called after him, and were soon at his side, but he did not look at either of them with his determined focus completely set on the front gates and nothing else.

As he walked across the bridge, however, his pace began to slow. The gates were opened, that would mean his parents would be home, but that was not necessarily why he slowed down.

"Kojiro?" Musashi asked.

Kojiro did not hear her. Images of a pair of coffins appeared before his eyes, and they did not contain the dead. Not that he wished death upon his parents, but such a scheme had been something pretty incredible even if he had suspected it. The whole event of the last time he had set foot on this estate seemed more like a nightmare now than something that had actually happened. Before that day, life at the estate had never been _that_ insane. It had been as if Rumika had had everyone drugged.

He closed his eyes briefly, gathering renewed courage, and started up the pace again.

That was when the images of a delicate-looking woman appeared before his mind with a whip and a surprisingly strong arm. There was an oxymoron somewhere in this image, not that he wanted to think of it deeply. His eyes were already twitching and his spine already prickled with shivers.

This may just be walking into a repeat of what had happened that day, or worse. Rumika could succeed in marrying him!

_A mocking smile flashed behind a white and lacy veil as Rumika looked down upon the groom chained with guards on either side as he stood beside her._

"_You have to kiss me now, remember? Just like in the manga. Perfect, sublime, and passionately!"_

Kojiro stopped so suddenly that Nyaasu and Musashi kept right on walking a step or two before they realized what had happened. Turning around, they stared at him wide-eyed.

"I think …" Kojiro said very slowly and distantly. "I think I just changed my mind …" He turned around and faced the beautiful, calm country road in the opposite direction, so free, so at peace.

Then he felt a hand pulling him by the shoulder back toward the house.

"Oh, no you don't!" snapped Musashi. "You dragged us all the way over here. Now, you go through with this!"

Kojiro moaned.

The graceful fountain through the open black gates looked as peaceful as the road behind him, but he knew far better. It was a mocking façade. This whole place was out to get him. He wouldn't be surprised if they already knew he was here and everyone was waiting for him, marriage and all, just inside the doors in the main hall.

"We'll be right behind you, nya," said Nyaasu.

"Yeah," Musashi agreed. "Anything funny happens, and I'll beat them up myself."

"And I'll scratch them up, nya!"

Somehow, Kojiro did not feel too comforted, but he still continued down the other side of the bridge toward the house. Carefully, he passed through the gates out into the courtyard and drive. The sheer massiveness of the estate already seemed to close in on him. He glanced behind him quickly, half expecting the gates to shut on him, but as nothing happened and all remained as still as before, he continued on around the fountain. Like one walking up the steps of a sacrificial alter in some ancient, foreign land to his doom, Kojiro walked up the few steps. Shakily he came to a stop in front of the tall, ominous doors with head bowed and eyes squeezed shut and teeth clenched tightly as he braced himself for the end.

"Go on," said Musashi encouragingly from behind.

"We're right here, nya," Nyaasu reminded him. "But if you wan-nya go back …

Well, they weren't exactly right behind him, Kojiro found as he turned his head around to see them backed away at the edge of the top step instead of across the platform in front of the door right behind him.

Kojiro stiffened, and with a determined scowl, he faced the door again. Though as he reached for the doorbell, he bit his lip and hesitated before pushing it in. The classic, cheerful _ding dong_ that then sounded seemed quite contrary to the rest of the mood, and although at first it startled Kojiro, it woke him slightly from his fears and nightmarish daydreams.

This is just his house, he reminded himself. He was just going to have a nice talk with his family. That was all. They would all sit down calmly over a nice cup of tea, have some crumpets and scones and talk this whole thing over like civilized people. He was a man now not a child. There should be no reason to fear. If he just stood up for himself and acted the mature part of the only son of this noble-lined family instead of being a cowering, whimpering baby maybe he could get this whole Rumika thing settled before anyone could call her family and announce his arrival.

Yes, his parents would be disappointed in him. Yes, he would probably incur the wrath of Rumika's family for eternity, but this was just marriage they were talking about. Not life or death. Not the fate of the world. Not anything that should bother anyone. Rumika surely had other peers to marry. Everyone would just have to deal with it.

He nodded here to confirm himself, but the nod quickly turned to a cringe.

No.

It would never work.

He turned once more in the opposite direction.

"I don't think anybody's home," he said. "Too bad. I guess we'll just have to go."

Musashi frowned, and Nyaasu opened his mouth to say something, but just at that moment the door opened, and an unfamiliar face appeared in the doorway.

Kojiro could not help but stare at this young man, evidently some new servant, and the young man could not help to stare strangely back for a few seconds. He took in Kojiro's half-destroyed Team Rocket uniform, his bruised and scraped face and arms, and he glanced even quicker at the woman and the Nyaasu behind him. Then he returned to Kojiro, and straightened appropriately and stared down (for he was at least ahead taller than Kojiro) at the strange, wild thing he did not recognize on his master and lady's doorstep.

Once having cleared his throat, Kojiro managed a strange sort of, awkward smile as he said, "Hello, uh … _tadaima_!"

The servant raised a suspicious brow, but as he continued to stare, a sudden thought occurred to him, and stepping back a pace and widening the door, he asked, "Jiro-san's son …?"

"N-yeah, that's Kojiro!" Nyaasu shouted from behind before Kojiro could speak for himself.

"Yeah, treat your master's son with more respect!" Musashi ordered, crossing her arms and tossing her head haughtily.

Kojiro could not stop the groan that followed.

"Who are they behind you?" asked the servant.

"His friends, nya!" Nyaasu snapped.

"Yeah …" muttered Kojiro. "I'm here to … uh …" he hesitated, twiddling his fingers and shifting his eyes sluggishly. "speak with my parents if they're around."

"Of course, Kojiro-san!" said the servant, stepping back and bowing as he held open the door for the trio to enter.

Again, Kojiro hesitated, but now Nyaasu and Musashi were right behind him. Musashi even gave his shoulder an encouraging pat. Thus with a deep breath, Kojiro stepped in through the entryway and into the hall.

"I will inform your parents of your presence immediately," said the servant with another bow and making for the grand staircase.

"And Rumika …" Kojiro managed to squeak.

The servant stopped and turned around, facing Kojiro directly and quite solemnly.

"That will hardly be likely unless you wish it, Kojiro-san," said the servant, "and if you wish it, it is not advisable, if I may say so."

Kojiro, Musashi and Nyaasu all exchanged confused glances. Each unsure if they could trust their ears with what had just been spoken. Perhaps they had not understood the servant completely. Then Musashi and Nyaasu both looked to Kojiro to ask the fateful question, which Kojiro stepped forward then to ask.

"And, uh … why is that?"

It took all his strength to keep from falling at the servant's feet with tears of joy and bawling his head off, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I don't know why but thank you!"

"Her family, Kojiro-san, no longer will allow her to pursue you."

"That won't necessarily stop her, will it?" Musashi asked innocently.

The servant graced her with a look of mild disapproval, but he quickly cleared his face.

"After your constant escapes and the final realization that you had become a member of that pokémon stealing crime syndicate," said the servant, again facing Kojiro with still solemnity, "Rumika's family decided to break off the engagement."

Now the tears did begin to swim. Kojiro could not help it anymore. Of all the fortunate occurrences he had ever heard. He still could hardly believe what was being told to him, but just at the last phrase "break off the engagement" Kojiro could take no more and did find himself falling at the servant's feet, much to the servant's discomfort. It also seemed that the servant was trying to decide whether Kojiro performed this action out of pleasure or sorrow.

"Really?" asked Kojiro so eagerly that it certainly cleared any confusion, especially as he looked about to hug the servant around the legs, which happened to be an experience that the servant was not too keen on having.

The servant involuntarily stepped back a pace or two, and glanced briefly to Musashi and Nyaasu who continued only to watch their strange friend without interference for the moment. Once more he turned to Kojiro.

"I would not be too excited, Kojiro-san," said the servant. "You're parents have been shamed by this. The family came in person to … er, discuss their … disappointment."

"Her parents and his parents started beating the crap out of each other?" asked Musashi.

"The master and lady of the house do not 'beat the crap' out of anyone," retorted the servant, "and I'm not at liberty to go into the details of the meeting."

Kojiro lowered his head.

"Does this mean they don't want to see me?" he asked timidly.

"No," said the servant simply. "I'm certain they will still be happy that you've returned, merely disappointed at how long you have taken."

And with a proper nod, the servant withdrew, taking flight up the staircase until he disappeared.

Closing his eyes, Kojiro let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging and his brows knitting into a horrid knot. Then he lurched forward at a sudden clinking sound behind him. Spinning around, he saw Musashi and Nyaasu squabbling over something and pushing each other away.

"What are you doing?" Kojiro demanded.

A chink of something fell from their hands and bounced upon the freshly-waxed, marble floor as Musashi and Nyaasu turned to him with eyes popping out of their heads.

With a very faint growl, Kojiro turned away, not wishing to know where the chunk had come from or what they had broken.

"Now look what you did, nya!" Nyaasu hissed. "You made him upset!"

"What _I_ did?" Musashi hissed back. "You're the one who broke it."

"I did ny-ot, nya!" Nyaasu returned.

"Please, you guys," Kojiro begged. "Not now. I'm in trouble enough as it is."

#

Upstairs, the servant who had happened upon the trio, now knocked lightly upon a door where the master and lady happened to be.

A light reply called him to enter, and the servant, carefully opened the door to the little parlor of a room. The master and lady had been sitting on a sofa writing something down on a list of some kind, but the paper now lay flat on the table in front of them with the quill pen and ink near at hand.

"What is it, Shino?" asked the Mr. Niwa.

"Jiro-san, Mako-san," said the servant with a low and humble bow. "Your son has returned from his … excursions, and is waiting in the front hall downstairs. Should I allow him up to see you?"

* * *

_NOTE: I had to make up names for his parents and I don't know his last name in Japanese so I had to make that up too.  
_

_Japanese phrase courtesy of my Japanese learning sister is_

_ tadaima: (roughly) I'm back  
_


	3. A Splendid Ominous House

JMJ

CHAPTER THREE:

A Splendid, Ominous House

Through the servant Shino, the trio had been conveyed to separate corridors to wash for supper. Kojiro had been ushered into his old room, and Musashi was sent to another bedroom down the way. She did not know what had happened to Nyaasu, but she guessed that he had not been invited to dine with the humans.

This room had its own shower, and Musashi had no problem making herself at home with it, but as she mused through the clothing to make her "respectable for dinner" she found herself not nearly as excited as she thought she would have been. Images of a queenly woman in a faraway land taunted her in the back of her mind every time she held a dress up in front of herself before a mirror. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to block out the memory of she herself commanding servants to punish Nyaasu for not giving her what she had felt at the time as due respect, but more than anything as she looked into the mirror again, she remembered another mirror and how it had reflected the treasures and beauty around her and of her.

With a growl of annoyance, Musashi snatched the simplest dress in the wardrobe and put it on quite satisfied, but not without hiding her Team Rocket uniform in the back of the closet. She would not risk some servant taking the liberty of throwing it out. As she said, she had no intention of staying here nor of letting Kojiro stay here either.

His parents were angry with him too, they probably would not even want him to stay, which would be just fine with Musashi. Then they could all get back to their lives without further trouble.

Kojiro wanted to help his parents. She had no idea how he thought he would accomplish this. He probably did not even know himself, but if in his wishing to be a good son he was ordered off the premises, then as a good son he would have to leave.

Hopefully, that would be all his parents would have to say at the table. Maybe they would add how much he had shamed the Niwa family or some noble household thing of that sort. There would a gloomy Kojiro for a few days, and it would all be over.

Now the only other problem was getting the servant girl out of the room so she could not attempt to aid Musashi in getting this dress on … What was with the aristocracy? Didn't they believe in privacy? Seriously!

Downstairs again, she was led to a vast dining room where she found seated at an equally vast dining table Mr. and Mrs. Niwa on one end and Kojiro halfway down the middle quite separated from the other two. Neither party looked at the other. Mr. and Mrs. Niwa seemed to be looking at nothing at all in their usual stiff and stately fashion, and Kojiro, now dressed in a Victorian-eque suit, sat slumped down staring at his plate miserably.

After a roll of her eyes, Musashi took the liberty of snatching a seat beside Kojiro, and the instant she appeared, Kojiro straightened upright and proper, apparently remembering that he should not be slouching. He looked longing at Musashi as if silently telling her to do the same.

_Yeah, Kojiro, yeah, I know how to eat properly, _she thought.

It was not be long before the servants brought supper in, but it felt ages as the future diners sat in awkward silence. Musashi stared up at the chandeliers. Their delicate and whimsical design danced in the ceiling painted with many colors and playful imagery, and she thought of the incredible contrast between the ceiling and the table below. It made her think absently for a moment that it might be better having supper on the chandeliers. It also seemed to display a sort of irony about aristocrats, but she could not have put it into words. Subtleties of that sort were not her strong point. Thus, returning to the table, she glanced to Kojiro, hoping she looked at least a little encouraging, but she knew her face probably showed more of her disgust than her sympathies. After their eyes met, although his posture did not stoop, his eyes again fell to his empty plate.

Then did the food arrive, and suddenly Musashi realized how famished she was. All annoyances and concerns, instantly vanished as her eyes widened on the platters and bowls set in front of her. Lids flew off to the lovely Victorian-esque dinner. She did not even bother to figure out which fork went with which food or which side of the plate a utensil lodged, nor did she consider poise in her wine drinking. She did manage to remember lifting a pinky, but perhaps that simply mocked the manners she was unwittingly ignoring as she dove into the meal all the more hungrily.

"Musashi!" a tiny voice squeaked beside her.

Musashi looked up, confused by the concern at first.

"Hmm?"

Kojiro's frantic face met hers as she washed down a gulp-full of food with what little remained of her wine, and she frowned.

"Please," he begged with pleadingly-exaggerated, rubbery expression; though, he spoke barely in a whisper.

Setting down her glass, she peeked at the still unmoved Mr. and Mrs. Niwa out of the corner of her eye. Her focus met with Mrs. Niwa's briefly, but no emotion presented itself in that look.

Musashi forced a smile and turned back to her meal, eating the rest slowly and calmly, even if she still did not use the utensils right.

That was when she noticed the unorthodox activity that Kojiro was involved in as he as discretely as possible sneaked food under the table. With a frown, she leaned back and glanced down to see Nyaasu silently begging for more like a dog.

So that's where he had ended up.

When he was not doing that, Kojiro simply stared dejectedly at his plate in a manner that made Musashi fear that he would simply pass out right into his supper. He did not eat anything either. He hardly lifted his fork and only swirled his wine once after a single hefty gulp.

Finally, the silence became too much for Musashi and, clearing her throat she made to say something. The loudness of the sound surprised even her, and she hesitated a little as all eyes fell on her.

"Well," she said with a grin holding up her win glass as if to make a toast. "Everything's very good, isn't it?"

After a long pause, Mr. Niwa murmured, "Very," as though he thought quite the opposite.

Clearing her throat again, Musashi's smile dissipated into a scowl, and a servant came by to fill her glass again.

"Psst, Kojiro, nya," whispered Nyaasu from below, tugging his pant leg.

With a deep wince, Kojiro glanced down. Musashi did the same just in time to see Nyaasu pointing inside of his mouth. Kojiro closed his eyes and sighed, but before she could give him any more food, Musashi gave the pokémon a rough kick.

"Nyah!" Nyaasu cried.

"You're making it worse!" snapped Musashi.

Now Kojiro's sigh turned into a loud moan as he dropped his head onto the table literally; though fortunately, not in the middle of his food but on the table anyway.

For a moment, Musashi just stared at the motionless, bluish-purple mop on the table beside her. Even Nyaasu was too surprised to be angry with Musashi for kicking him. Then she dared a glance to Mr. and Mrs. Niwa who still appeared completely unmoved from where she had seen them last. Still, stiff, eating calmly and quietly, the couple hardly glanced up when Kojiro's face collided with the table, and she felt rage building up inside of her. The least they could do was scold them for bad table manners or something!

She was beginning to feel Kojiro's distress. The fact that they refused to even recognize the oddities of the trio was worse than any scolding or discussion of any kind however condescending. A strong urge went through her to stand up right then and there and smack the both of them.

She did not have long to dwell on such thoughts, for at that moment Kojiro abruptly lifted his head and stood up.

"Excuse me," he said in a very somber, little voice, "I don't feel well. If it's not out of the question, I'd like to go to bed."

Mr. Niwa nodded. "You may be excused."

"Rest," agreed Mrs. Niwa. "You must be exhausted."

At least they were speaking, but hey! Wait a minute!

If Kojiro was leaving, that meant that she would be alone with Mr. and Mrs. Niwa, and Nyaasu had already leapt onto Kojiro's head as he withdrew from the dining room. Musashi turned from the closing dining room door to the couple in question who seemed to be deliberately avoiding her gaze at first, but she when glared long enough, both Mr. and Mrs. Niwa lifted their heads to her almost simultaneously.

Musashi forced another smile.

"Excuse me," she said. "I think I'm just going to go make sure Nyaasu doesn't make a mess."

"Do what you need to do," was the light reply from Mr. Niwa.

They were inhuman, that's what they were. Were they always like this? The last time Musashi was here, they had been as far as she recalled, but they could not possibly always be like this, could they? She would have to ask Kojiro, but then maybe little boy Kojiro did not see them often. After all, Kojiro was the complete opposite of them; they certainly could not have raised him. A bunch of nannies and governesses much have raised him before he ran away.

These two people did not even look at Musashi as she left, but as she hastened to the steps she thought she heard their voices murmuring inside.

Musashi paused and listened, but she could make nothing out. Maybe it was nothing at all. She thought that what she had heard could have been air from the central air system or something the servants were whispering about.

Still, Musashi leered suspiciously at the dining room door a moment before she finally took to the stairs, and she could not help but wonder what those two possibly talked about when they weren't talking about Rumika and their son's marriage to her. What could they possibly have to say with no one else around?

#

There came a poised rap on the door. It was amazing how something as simple as knocking could be made into an aristocratic art form, Kojiro thought after he nearly leapt clean out of his skin from the sound much more than he would have if it had been a loud bang instead. That would have meant Musashi. Nyaasu was in the adjoining room checking out the books and movies (they still kept a vast collection of Kojiro's old VHS tapes and early DVDs) and music CDs, and deciding what was best to use to relax before bed, so it would not have been him (at least that meant Nyaasu wasn't snooping around in the kitchen). The rap on the door proved so light that Nyaasu did not notice it, and Kojiro knew, somehow he knew, that rap could not be the rap of a servant.

He bit his lip, and scooted off his bed, tiptoeing toward the door.

Had his parents finally something to tell him? It seemed highly possible that they had something to say that they had not wished to share in the presence of Musashi.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, and with worry alongside a good case of sincere curiosity, Kojiro dared to open the door.

"Hello," he said timidly, and yes, just as he had suspected, Mr. and Mrs. Niwa stood in the hallway before him.

"May we speak with you?" asked Mr. Niwa.

Kojiro nodded before he could manage a little squeak of consent that had meant to be the word "Sure" and the more proper phrase "Of course" coming out unfortunately at the same time to form nothing intelligible. Opening the door further, he allowed his parents inside, but they remained in the doorway.

"It will only take a moment," Mrs. Niwa assured him.

Mr. Niwa meanwhile glanced through the open doorway behind which Nyaasu could be heard still rummaging.

Clearing his throat, Kojiro said, "It's just Nyaasu. Musashi's … uh …" Come to think of it, he did not know where Musashi was. He gulped. Surely she was just in her room sleeping. Right? After all, if she had been up to something, Nyaasu would have been with her, right?

Now it was Kojiro who glanced distrustfully toward the sound of Nyaasu's rummaging, but he turned quickly back to his parents.

"She's not here at the moment," Kojiro said.

"_About_ your friend," said Mr. Niwa.

Again Kojiro gulped.

"She seems to be always with you," said Mrs. Niwa.

"She seems very fond of you as well," said Mr. Niwa.

"Is this the reason why you did not want to marry Rumika? Is she …" Mrs. Niwa continued but hesitated before she could complete the thought.

In his start, Kojiro leapt forward strangely and nearly tripped right over the doorway and into his parents, but he quickly recovered himself physically, at least.

"No!" he gasped with a violent shake of his head. "No! She's just—just—just, uh, a friend. She was my partner at my, uh …"

"Team Rocket?" asked Mr. Niwa.

"_Yes_!" gasped Kojiro and calmed a little. "Yes, she's just a friend. We're not together."

Mr. Niwa still remained as motionless and emotionless as ever, after this last sentence, Mrs. Niwa smiled a little.

"Kojiro," she said. "You don't have to worry about the past. We want you to know that."

"It's completely forgotten," Mr. Niwa assured him.

"But what about Rumika's family?"

Both parents looked annoyed by their very mention, so much that Kojiro had to wonder what the family had actually come to say to his parents. It made him uneasy. Her family was much like her, violently proper in a bizarre whirl of contrast between the regally poised and the wildly impetuous. Not always a bad thing as far as the individual members went, but it certainly was in the case of Rumika, and certainly if the family had been angered it would not have been a pretty sight for the very quiet and reserved Niwa family.

"They need not be mentioned," said Mr. Niwa calmly.

"Ever again," added Mrs. Niwa with extra grace.

Somehow, Kojiro did not feel as relieved or as comforted as he would have thought he would be hearing these words coming from his parents' mouths. If only they had said these things the last time he had come home. A year ago now, maybe two, but it felt like a life time ago just as everything else did before his brain-melting experiences in that strange world he had come from not even two weeks ago yet.

"_Oyasumi nasai_, Kojiro," said Mr. Niwa as he quietly turned to leave.

Mrs. Niwa graced Kojiro with another smile, a smile that Kojiro almost shook to see, a smile of genuine parental love. Then she followed her husband down the hall as she glided along in her long, red dress.

"Good night," Kojiro said as them, and he quietly closed the door.

The second he turned, he let out a squeak of surprise to see Nyaasu standing just beside him.

"So that's what they were so worked up about, nyuh?" asked Nyaasu, lifting a CD from the pile in his arms and examining the back of it with distaste.

"What do you mean?" demanded Kojiro.

"They were worried that you were going to marry Musashi, nya," said Nyaasu with a shrug, then looking up he said, "Kojiro, how come almost all you got is kiddy music?"

Kojiro rolled his eyes. "Uh, because I was a little boy."

"Nya, I thought you _did_ like Musashi, nya," Nyaasu murmured as he picked up another CD from his armload.

"Nyaasu," grumbled Kojiro stepping back into the room past him.

He flopped backwards onto his bed and after a moment of stillness, he ran his fingers through his hair with a heavy sigh.

"Hey, you kny-ow the couple game boy games you mixed up with this, nya?" Nyaasu cried excitedly. "Mario! Classic."

"I don't wanna marry Musashi," said Kojiro.

With another careless shrug, Nyaasu said, "Well how 'bout when you guys get all mushy together and—"

"I _don't_ wanna marry _Musashi_!" Kojiro screamed. "I don't like her like that!" He shook his head and leered at Nyaasu.

Nyaasu looked up with full attention from his stack with eyes great round disks.

"Alright, alright, nya …" he said and returned to his stack.

"I mean, come on, would _you_ wanna marry Musashi?" Kojiro demanded.

"Ny-o," said Nyaasu bluntly as he ran up to the bed and hopped to the foot of it. "But then she's a human and I'm a cat."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Kojiro said. He paused, staring up at the ceiling blankly, and after another pause, he said, "the game boy should be in the cupboards with the movies if you want it. I'm going to bed."

A thoughtful look crossed Nyaasu with the cock of his head. Reaching down to set his pile of media next to the bed, he looked up at Kojiro again and said, "Nyah, I'll just go to bed too." Before Kojiro could protest; though, he really had no intention of protesting, the little cat dove for the covers and made himself comfortable on one of the four pillows set on at the head of the bed.

With a light roll of his eyes, Kojiro, who was already in pajamas and robe, slipped off the robe, setting it on the corner of the head board and smuggled under the covers on the other side of the bed. However, no sooner had he turned out the light and closed his eyes when he heard the door handle creak. Both he and Nyaasu shot up, but it was only to see Musashi.

In a night gown and slippers, Musashi stood, her face set with round, puppy-sad eyes, like a child afraid of the dark and silently begging her parents to let her sleep with them as she clutched onto the door handle with had cheek to the door …

Nyaasu and Kojiro scooted over to allow room, and Musashi slipped inside, closing the door behind her.

"It's like the place is haunted when it's dark," Musashi grumbled accusingly as an explanation for her presence here.

She reached the bed and made herself comfortable on the other side of Nyaasu with her back to him. Kojiro followed the example and Nyaasu nestled down comfortably in the middle. Not long after this, the bed erupted with little snores.


	4. Dancing Princesses

JMJ

CHAPTER FOUR:

Dancing Princesses

SLAM_! The sound echoed through the foundations of the room._

_But the next sound shook the foundation of Kojiro's heart so that he was trembling from head to foot._

"_Kojiro!" the voice sang on the other side of the door._

_Quickly, Kojiro turned around and turned the lock, and even after this, he held the door back as if the owner of the voice would try to break the door in._

_Sure, his fears may have been a little exaggerated. She was, after all, only a little girl, despite her domineering nature, but to this introverted, little boy she was like a nightmare in pink. He could picture her stopping at the door with her deceivingly innocent pout of disappointment when she tried the knob and found the room locked. The jiggling handle made his insides swim._

"_Come on, Kojiro. I just want to cut your hair."_

_Cringing, he could hear the scissors snipping at the air in the hallway._

"_My mother says your parents let it grow out too long anyway," said the girl on the other side, and she paused to knock. "Kojiro," she sang again. "Come on, you can't stay in there forever. You'll have to go to the bathroom sometime."_

_Kojiro dropped to the floor into a squat, and he held his head with worry._

_She was right. He would have to come out eventually._

_Then he glanced to the window._

_Would he dare climb out?_

_This was a desperate situation, and they were only on the second story._

_He pulled up the window as quick as a flash._

"_Oh, Kojiro!" once more the girl sang on the other side. "What are you doing in there?"_

_Kojiro did not answer, but instead braved the ledge on the outside and just barely scrambled down a drainpipe before running with all his might toward the doghouse. Before he touched the ground, Gar-Chan had been there, barking excitedly, and he ran with Kojiro until together they disappeared into doghouse._

#

Kojiro blinked to the present and shook a little as he turned away from the very same door behind which he had hid years ago.

_Even in the light hours, the house feels like its haunted_, he thought as he stepped down the hall early next morning. _Maybe not haunted by ghosts of the dead but by memories_.

The shadows of scenes from a past so distant and yet so near his heart (and usually not in a positive manner) were linked with every room he passed.

Even still Kojiro felt in a much sharper and saner frame of mind than he had been in the night before. At supper he had melted over and could no longer keep his thoughts from running wild on this ominous place, but now with the freshness of morning, the gloom of the estate did not bring his spirits down quite so much. On the contrary, he felt extremely hungry after having gone to bed with nothing to eat since an early lunch, and phantoms could wait until lion in stomachs were fed.

As his parents had said, he did not have to worry about the past anymore. There was only now and the future to worry about, and Kojiro still determined to make up for the past, not only to his parents but for himself as well. This was the beginning of the first day of his brand new life, and nothing would stand in his way.

"This isn't going to be so bad, nya," said Nyaasu suddenly strolling at his side.

Kojiro looked down and displayed a wide grin, happy that his companions shared his optimism.

"What's for breakfast?" asked Musashi.

"Whatever you want for breakfast," said Kojiro, and he stopped.

"Eggs and toast?" asked Nyaasu. "Bacon?" He licked his lips with content. "Nya …"

"I don't want all that," Musashi said with a sniff. "I'd rather just have some refreshing miso soup."

"I'd have both," Kojiro admitted, his stomach whining terribly at the mention of these delightful possibilities.

Downstairs however, before he could order anything from the servants to eat, he took leave of his friends and darted down the hall to the front door.

"Where are you going?" Musashi demanded.

Turning, but still walking backwards, he said, "I gotta go somewhere first."

He turned back around and nearly walked right into a statue. Steadying himself and touching the statue delicately, he hurried for the door and leapt outside, and yes, there was the faithful companion waiting right at the doorstep for him. He had known that the canine would be aware of his master's return and would be right here at the door waiting for him.

"Gar-Chan!" exclaimed Kojiro even before the dog, with a delightful bark, could jump up in his master's open arm.

On his hind legs, Gar-Chan licked Kojiro hands as he still could not reach his face, but Kojiro soon dropped into a squat to allow the dog the pleasure as well as his own. Gar-Chan covered his master's face with his excited tongue until not a part left uncovered by hair was not dripping with dog spit, but Kojiro did not mind in the least as he patted the dog, ruffled his ears, and hugged him tightly. The growlithe's whole body was shaking with the joy of his wildly wagging, shaggy tail.

"Were you waiting for me outside the door all night?" asked Kojiro, releasing his hug and patting Gar-Chan's head warmly.

"_Gar-ooo!_" replied the dog, and he smiled a good, old dog smile before licking his master once more.

"It's so nice out," Kojiro said, "I'll think I'll have breakfast outside!"

Gar-Chan jumped up on his forepaws a little as he barked in agreement to the idea.

Turning back to the house and stepping through the door with Gar-Chan following merrily at his heals, Kojiro made for the breakfast sun room. He remembered that Gar-Chan was not allowed in most of the house. As a child that was one of the only rules he did not always obey. Gar-Chan would follow him all day long if he could, and Kojiro could not have born sending him away unless someone told him to do so. He would have brought him to his room last night if he had not been following this rule, for Gar-Chan was not allowed at all upstairs, really — it was the fur, you see. Gar-Chan was not allowed anywhere where a person would be eating, sleeping, or entertaining guests, (and when he was little anywhere where he would be studying), which covered a large portion of the mansion. As Kojiro was trying to make amends with his parents, he had to give Gar-Chan the command to stay before he went on out of the hall into the sun room.

Gar-Chan complained a little, but with an encouraging scratch behind those floppy ears, Kojiro promised he would be right back.

"Hey, guys!" Kojiro exclaimed as he erupted through the doors, but in his excitement he had forgotten that his parents would probably already be finishing their own breakfast here. He instantly stifled his excitement, and cleared his throat as he straightened properly. "Excuse me," he said and smiled a little as he made a slight bow to his parents looking up in wonderment. "_Ohaiyo gozaimasu_," he added.

"_Ohaiyo gozaimasu_," replied Mr. Niwa.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Mrs. Niwa.

"Yes_, arigatou gozaimasu_," said Kojiro with another little bow of his head. Then he turned quickly to Musashi and Nyaasu who were eagerly awaiting their breakfasts; though, Nyaasu again was not allowed at the table but had to settle with a bowl underneath.

Come to think of it, his parents probably did not even want him in here. Sure, as a short-haired cat Nyaasu was not liable to shed as much as Gar-Chan, but … oh, he would just ignore it unless someone brought it up. He could not just make Nyaasu leave. Beside he was taking them all outside now anyway.

However, just before he could speak, Mr. Niwa said, "We're glad you're here, Kojiro."

Kojiro turned abruptly back to his parents.

"We've been meaning to tell you," said Mrs. Niwa. "We just told your friends."

Kojiro turned briefly to Musashi and Nyaasu, and they graced him with wide, toothy grins. Then he returned to his parents.

"Uh, yes?" asked Kojiro hesitantly.

"Your mother and I decided that as in celebration of your return," said Mr. Niwa, "that we will combine the party that we were going to host next week with your coming home."

Instantly, Kojiro stiffened. "Uh … a party?"

"N-yeah, a party!" exclaimed Nyaasu. "With dances and food and … _food_, nyah!"

Musashi grinned, but there was something odd about it, something not entirely savory as if she was trying to tell Kojiro something, but Kojiro was too busy with his parents to attempt to decipher it now.

"We were going to have it anyway at the end of the week," said Mrs. Niwa.

"But we've made changes for you," said Mr. Niwa.

"Well …" Kojiro said trying to find the right words, "I …"

What else could he do? He bowed his head once more and thanked his parents humbly.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," said Mr. Niwa. "We're very glad to have you back."

"And we want everyone to know that our son has returned," said Mrs. Niwa.

"Everyone?" Kojiro was unable to repress.

His parents, not obviously noticing anything strange about their son's behavior nodded with pleasant smiles.

"But not Rumika," said Musashi suddenly.

Kojiro bit his lip.

"Naturally, not Rumika," said Mr. Niwa sternly. "Her family is no longer welcome in our home."

"Not at all," added Mrs. Niwa.

Musashi and Nyaasu exchanged glances, and Nyaasu shrugged.

"Thank you, again," said Kojiro. "You really didn't …"

"Oh, of course we had to, Kojiro," said Mr. Niwa.

"It will be a day to formally welcome you home," said Mrs. Niwa.

Now it was Musashi and Kojiro who exchanged glances. Musashi did not look at all convinced of their intent. Kojiro could not help but feel it too. Something was not right about this, but he did not want to ruminate over it at the moment. He _really_ wanted his breakfast outside now. Thus, after his servants brought him something to eat with the proper outside ware, he slipped outside as quickly as possible. His friends beat him out there.

#

Straightening his fur a bit, and even go so far as to lick the back of his forepaw to reach a spot behind his ear, Nyaasu boldly stepped forth out from under the table. He carefully wound his way through legs both human and chair, and finally he came to where he had calculated the spot where the shrimp would be. Luckily everything was rather buffet style as the party was taking place in the ballroom, so no one would notice a stray paw reaching up over the top of the table to grab a handful of shrimp and slip them under the fluttering tablecloth.

Licking his lips and opening his mouth with an eager meow, Nyaasu took a wide bite and chewed with the utmost pleasure.

"_Oishii_, nya," Nyaasu sighed, eyes gazing above him.

The only unfortunate part of this was that he had to constantly refill his paws. He was forced to hunt for his meals at this party, for again he had not officially been invited. In fact, one servant had explained to Kojiro that Nyaasu would not be allowed in the house at all unless he was thoroughly brushed and cleaned twice a day to keep him from shedding. Not so bad really, but that still had not apparently make him eligible for this evening's festivities.

_N-ah, well_, Nyaasu thought. _Just as well._

That just meant he would not have to deal with the stuff-shirt guests as Kojiro and Musashi had to.

Peeking out from under the table, the cat soon spotted Kojiro. At the moment his parents were apparently taking the liberty of introducing their son to one esteemed, bald-headed man, his silver, curly-haired wife and their buxom daughter. All were dressed much as though at a French ball sometime before the French revolution (except, thankfully, no powdered wigs). Even Kojiro was fully dressed with a long green coat, breaches, and tights. He looked utterly ridiculous to say the least, but it was not as if he had not dressed worse in his colorful array of costumes he had worn as a disguise while he was on Team Rocket business. The only difference Nyaasu could see was that in this case, Kojiro was not in disguise and he looked strangely out of place amongst these puffs of aristocracy that somehow forgot which era and region they lived in.

With a roll of his eyes, Nyaasu turned to look for Musashi, but he had looked too far before he realized that she stood not far off from Kojiro. She too was dressed up with hair up in pompadour fashion to boot. Nyaasu thought she might have taken the ball fashion a bit too far, but who was he to argue with Musashi's sense of fitting in.

Nyaasu decided it high time to snatch some old fashioned meat pudding on the next table over. Slipping again under the lacy tablecloth again, he was just crossing the floor when he heard a high-pitched voice cry suddenly, "A nyaasu!"

Nyaasu jumped and spun frantically toward the sound of the voice. He leapt backward upon seeing just behind him a trio of young ladies all dressed to fit the rest of the place, even holding up delicate fans (even if their design was more Eastern than Western) and had faces powdered near white. However, instead of holding themselves stiffly and mannerly as the Niwa parents, they were stooping toward Nyaasu with schoolgirl, beaming faces.

"Oh, I love kitties!" said one girl, a delicate brunette, smaller than the others were and with a small voice to match.

"I didn't know the Niwa family had any," said a second; her hair was dark blue.

"I think I heard somewhere that a nyaasu came home with Kojiro-san," said the third, the one who had made the first exclamation. She was the tallest and her short, black hair glistened in the chandelier light stronger than the hair of either of the others, though her dress was a bit plainer and possessed more ease for its wearer to move about in.

Nyaasu blinked with uncertainty.

"Oh, he looks hungry, Mariko," said the brunette to the tallest girl.

"The poor thing," said the second.

"We should get him something to eat," added the brunette.

The third nodded to the other two ladies with mock sobriety. "Oh, I think we should. The poor thing looks utterly famished!"

With a face now quite brightening, Nyaasu dropped to all fours and purred as cutely as possible, coming to the young ladies' shoes and rubbing in the way only cats can.

The girls giggled, and the second reached down to scratch Nyaasu behind the ears as the first and the third grabbed some food from the table. Some fish, a bowl of meat pudding and a slice of cake on a napkin. They then motioned for Nyaasu to follow to an off to the side portion of the room where he could eat in peace.

"After all, we wouldn't want the poor thing to get trampled on," said the third.

"I had no idea that nyaasu were so cute," said the second. "I have a delicatty at home, and she is a gorgeous thing, but there is something so ruggedly adorable about this little creature."

The first scooped Nyaasu into her arms and stroked the cat tenderly. "Oh, yes, I've seen your delicatty. She is quite marvelous. She's won awards for best of the breed, I understand."

"Yes, she has," said the second lightly. "She's got quite a pedigree."

Nyaasu was then set gently on the floor as the third placed the food before him.

"Nya," said Nyaasu as in grateful thanks and instantly began to eat.

The third giggled and gave Nyaasu a last stroke over his head before she left him be.

"Utterly adorable little rogue!" exclaimed the first.

"Just as you said," said the third to the second, "ruggedly so."

And with a last round of giggles, the trio departed.

Nyaasu dug into his meal with deep satisfaction. He almost did not notice Musashi behind him until, she spoke.

"'Ruggedly so'," Musashi mocked as she raised a brow to the cat on the floor, and she crossed her arms.

Nyaasu looked up. "What's your problem, nya?"

"Nothing," grumbled Musashi, but her eyes betrayed otherwise as she glanced out across the ballroom floor where Kojiro was politely leading a dance with one of the many wealthy, blue blooded daughters.

After having taken in the scene fully of Kojiro looking less than pleased with the situation and the girl, although enjoying the dance did not seem to care who her partner was as she bounced over the floor, Nyaasu turned a skeptical eye up to Musashi.

"Come on," Musashi grumbled, plucking Nyaasu from the floor.

"Nya! N-yo, wait! My dinner!" Nyaasu cried.

"You've probably already stuck your grubby little paws into every dish on the tables anyway," Musashi retorted. "I'm tired of being here."

"Speak for yourself, nya," Nyaasu snorted.

Musashi did not answer but continued to march through the ballroom and out onto a terrace of sorts which looked out onto a lovely, flower garden. She did not stop to look at any of the last of summer's beauty however, but marched on until she stopped in front of a window with a stone bench beneath it. Only here did she let Nyaasu down, and kneeling upon the bench herself, she stared angrily in through the windows.

"What's _with_ you, nya?!" Nyaasu growled.

"Look at them! Both of them!" she snapped.

"What?" Nyaasu demanded, and with a roll of his eyes, he followed Musashi's finger in to where Mr. and Mrs. Niwa were standing, watching with beaming delight their son dance.

"It's sick," said Musashi.

"What's sick?" Nyaasu growled, thinking more of the crime of his unfinished plate.

"Don't you think it's strange how almost everybody is either some old guy or his daughter?" Musashi demanded.

Nyaasu shrugged. "I didn't ny-otice," he admitted, "but ny-ow that you mention it …"

Musashi growled and turned furiously into a rose bush away from the window.

"He's only been home a few days, and they're already trying to marry him off again, Rumika or not. I can't believe them! And he just puts up with it! This whole thing is stupid!" and to show she meant it, she ripped a ribbon from her hair and let the still curled and braided hair bounce down to her shoulders. "We should go before things get too out of hand."

"But you heard Kojiro," said Nyaasu. "He wants to help his parents, nya."

"How?" Musashi demanded. "He can't really _do_ anything?!"

"How should I kny-ow, nya?" Nyaasu demanded. "But unless we hog tie him and drag him out of here, Kojiro's ny-ot going anywhere."

Musashi sighed and stared down at the walk as she repositioned herself into a comfortable seating position.

"Maybe this is just as well," she muttered, as she leaned her elbow on her knee and cupped her chin her palm. "Maybe after tonight, he'll realize that this isn't worth it."

"_Jodan darou_, nya?" exclaimed Nyaasu. "He won't leave ny-ow. His parents just announced to the whole upper crust that their son's back, nya. He won't dishonor them by abandoning them right after the party, nya."

"But they're going to _kill_ him," Musashi muttered.

"I think what his real problem is, is that, Kojiro just ny-eeds to get up the courage to actually talk to them, nya," said Nyaasu.

"You can't be serious," said Musashi.

"More serious than I am about anything else at the moment except my unfinished dinner, nya," Nyaasu muttered.

With a rolled of her eyes, Musashi let out a heavy huff. "Oh, fine, whatever. Just go then. Eat yourself into a big, stupid pig, why don't you?"

"Fine, I will, nya," said Nyaasu tartly. "And I'll keep an eye on Kojiro too, nya."

* * *

**Japanese Phrases:**

_Ohaiyo gozaimasu: (Formal) Good morning_

_Arigatou gozaimasu: (Formal) Thank you_

_Oishii: Delicious_

_Jodan darou: (basically) You gotta be joking_


	5. We Gotta Get Him Outa Here!

JMJ

CHAPTER FIVE:

We Gotta Get Him Outa Here!

The first thing he noticed when he entered the room was Musashi sound asleep on an armchair on the far side of the room. She was curled up kitten fashion with her face under her arm.

Exhausted, Kojiro fell forward onto his stomach over his bed so that his shoes hit the headboard and his chin flopped into the neatly folded extra blankets at the foot. Not even bothering to take off his clothes, Kojiro felt himself drifting off to sleep just as lay.

He remembered days when he had run around all day long for Team Rocket business and not felt nearly as weary as he felt now. For a moment he almost wished he could go back to Team Rocket. Would it not be easier to just go back to letting Musashi and Nyaasu take command of things, of chasing around that stupid Pikachu, of allowing life to simply lead him on his way the way it would and his mind would not be in such agony in the troubles of indecision and confusion of insight and prudence? Would not the evils of love and truth be easier than this? Even as he thought this, he knew that this could not be, that he could never in a million years allow himself to get that low again, but a more wild part of his mind missed the thrill, missed the easy manner of just going with the flow of things as a Team Rocket agent; he even missed being blown away from situations that would have otherwise gotten him into more strife than mere physical pain. Prison. Explanations for his actions. Other consequences. Yes, he even missed _yana kanji_ …

_No you don't_, Kojiro told himself. _You don't miss failing every day and blasting off into space and crashing to earth with a body still numb from thunderbolt. You don't miss being smacked and bopped for every thought you feel like sharing, or whenever you did think about anything other than Team Rocket you were haunted by the past with paralyzing terror. Don't get your _yana kanji_ and _ii kanji_ mixed up._

But this was not exactly _ii kanji_ either, the wilder part of him reminded him.

Kojiro shook his head.

If he went back now, he would regret it for the rest of his life. This was his last chance. He did not know how he knew it, but he felt it as if some outside voice were telling him quite plainly that if he went back to Team Rocket now, he would never get another chance to escape it again. This was the perfect opportunity. Since they had been in Hoenn they had been ignored more and more by the eyes of Giovanni. Better to leave now than to wait until they were caught in Giovanni's sight again, right? Right?

He was not a prisoner here. He could leave any time he wanted. This whole thing was to make up with his parents. That did not mean he had to do everything they wanted him to do, but he had to express to them that he wanted to be their son again, yet retain his independence as an adult. How he was going to do that, he was not quite sure, and he certainly was not going to marry anyone that he did not want to. He would probably do anything else for them that they wanted except that.

Dreams began weaving above his head, but just as a full deep slumber was about to descend upon him, he heard a sound from the window.

"_Hnguh_?"

Lifting his eyes he saw an image of light fur and wide feline eyes through the mesh of screen.

Clearing his throat, Nyaasu began to sing the start of "Nyaasu no Uta", but he had hardly got past the first line when Kojiro cut him off.

"Don't," said Kojiro, flopping his face back into the blanket. He could never take that song in the way it had been intended to be heard after what Nyaasu had done to his own song. A flash image of cross examining an old man for a rare and unusual pokémon flashed through his mind instead of images of a moon and crickets.

"Nyah, fine," muttered Nyaasu. "I was just trying to cheer you up, nya."

"It's not helping," said Kojiro, and after a pause, he added, "I don't need cheering up. I just want to go to bed."

Nyaasu shrugged. "Okay, fine, be like that, nya, but could you open the window first? I wan-nya get in nya."

"Come through the door," muttered Kojiro.

"Oh, come on, Kojiro, nya," said Nyaasu. "Then I have to go through the whole house, nya."

With a loud moan, Kojiro dragged himself from the bed, and pried open the screen as if he was sleepwalking and already quite asleep.

"Nyah!" Nyaasu cried as he leapt into the room.

#

"Say, uh … Musashi," Kojiro started to say.

Musashi looked up from her breakfast curiously. They were eating it outside again. It seemed Kojiro spent a lot of time outside the mansion if he could help it.

"What?" she asked.

Kojiro hesitated. "I don't want this to sound the wrong way, and please, Musashi, please don't take it the wrong way but—"

A cloud slowly drew across her face. "What …?" she warned.

Gar-Chan, sitting beside his master, cocked his head with a slight whine. Without even looking at him, Kojiro took a piece of sausage and gave it to the dog to eat and patted his shoulders absently.

"I don't think you should sleep in my room anymore," said Kojiro quietly.

Musashi stared for a moment, Nyaasu looked up from the picnic blanket with a raised brow, but said nothing but, "nya," for the moment.

"_Doushite_?" Musashi wanted to know, stiffening.

"It's just my … my parents," said Kojiro.

"What about your parents?" Musashi snapped. "I'm tired of your parents. I'll show them what I really think of them."

"_Iya_!" Kojiro cried, throwing out his hands in desperation. "Please, Musashi. They have a reason to be concerned. I don't want them to think …" His voice trailed away, and he slumped into his lap.

"That we're together?" demanded Musashi.

As a dejected puppy, Kojiro closed his eyes and lowered his head even more.

Despite herself, Musashi could not stay angry with the mournful creature now before her. She studied Kojiro carefully a moment as a breeze swept by and brushed his hair softly to simply add to the melodrama of his appearance. With a roll of her eyes and a shoving of a sausage into her mouth with her fork, she hissed, "Fine!" through her half-chewed morsels.

"Nyah …" yawned Nyaasu, stretching before taking another bite of egg. "Why don't you two just get married and be done with it, nya?"

"Oh, what do you know?" snapped Musashi, and she pounded him roughly on the head, causing the poor cat's food to almost go down the wrong pipe.

"Ack!" cried Nyaasu, and after his food went down properly, he turned his attention to nursing his throbbing head and to scowling sulkily as Musashi.

Kojiro simply sighed as he petted Gar-Chan again.

"Maybe you just need a break for a while, nya," said Nyaasu. "You been here more than a week ny-ow. How 'bout you just split for a few days and come back refreshed, nya?"

"I don't know," muttered Kojiro.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Musashi brightening instantly by the idea, and snapping her fingers she continued in a bubbly mood, "You have tons of money. We could go on vacation! Somewhere in the Orange Islands maybe!" Here she clasped her hands together dreamily. "It's been forever since we've been on a real vacation."

"Musashi," Nyaasu pointed out. "We ny-ever been on a real vacation, nya."

"Exactly!" Musashi cried. "Or maybe we can go to Sunyshore City! I've never even been to the Sinnoh Region before, have you, Kojiro?"

"Uh … yeah, once, twice," said Kojiro fidgeting nervously, "but I don't think …"

"Nonsense, Kojiro," said Musashi.

"Ny-onsense!" agreed Nyaasu. "A vacation would be good for you, nya!"

"You're already starting to look pale and weird like some old lord locked in his castle!" snapped Musashi. "Have you looked at yourself lately?"

"N-yeah!" said Nyaasu. "Musashi's right! You'll fit the gothic romance of your ny-ightmares yet, Kojiro. Daphny-e de Muer much, nya?"

Kojiro grunted with annoyance. "I do _not_," he protested.

"You do _too_!" said the other two in complete unison.

Even Gar-Chan let out a meaningful bark.

"Nya!" added Nyaasu as if the single sound sealed the seriousness of their argument.

"But I don't want to just go on vacation with my parents' money just after I get home," grumbled Kojiro.

"They could come too!" Musashi growled.

"Uh … that would kind of defy the purpose of the vacation, wouldn't it, nya?" asked Nyaasu.

Musashi ignored him. "You need a vacation, Kojiro. Really you do. You needed one even before we came to your house. I mean, maybe we can wait a little longer, but you are in serious need of vacation. Really."

"Maybe," was all Kojiro said.

Slapping her forehead, Musashi groaned.

"Kojiro!" she snapped.

#

Aside from silently following his parents around, mostly all Kojiro did all day was wander the grounds outside with Gar-Chan. What Musashi and Nyaasu did, he did not pay much attention to; though, perhaps he should have. He was beginning to feel bad dragging them into this mess with him, but they had wanted to come with him. He had not asked them to come.

In the evening, a few days after the party, Kojiro found himself wandering the halls of the mansion rather than strolling about outside. The sky had burst into a flood of rain, and Gar-Chan was in the doghouse. He would have spent the night there with him had he not decided that he had better go find Musashi and Nyaasu first and tell them his plan, but they weren't in the dining hall, nor were they in the theatre room (a room that they had become rather fond of), nor the indoor hot tub just inside from the pool (another popular location for them). He had asked a few servants, but the ones he had asked had not seen the cat and the young woman since lunch.

_Great, _thought Kojiro.

He made his way through the halls to look for them, but as he wandered he found himself deep in the manor in places that the family rarely used. The sounds of rumbling thunder shook the house and lightning cast eerie shadows through windows and skylights as he haunted his own halls. He was beginning to remind himself of a cursed lord of a Victorian Gothic tale after all. The idea made him shiver, but it could not be denied.

The musty gloom in these dark corridors pulled him into a forgotten time before his childhood, before perhaps even his parents. The house was not quite as ancient as a medieval castle, but it was four or five generations old, long enough for secrets. With a house this size, even four or five years was long enough for secrets, as Kojiro knew full well …

Mysterious paintings hung upon the walls and seemed like windows to phantom worlds at the strike of each lightning flash. Imported Western suits or armor as well as some military equipment from closer to home lined some of these lonely halls. Statues of pokémon appeared now and then, including one stone wall-hanging of four playing chimecho that he remembered delighting in discovering once as a child a long time ago. It had not moved since the last he had seen it.

Well, of course it had not moved. Hardly anything ever changed in this house once it had been installed, but he could not help the odd feeling of the non-existence of time here. He could not help but feel that he was still that little boy, and in the vastness of the darkness, he almost felt as small as one. Maybe everything between that little boy and who he was now had never happened. Maybe he had just been wandering too long in those halls and had lost himself in a future that had never been. He may have merely had a bad day and now only imagined or dreamed that he had run away from home, that he had joined Team Rocket, that he had almost been brainwashed in some nightmarish tower. Maybe none of it was real, and he should just go back to his room for bed. All his memories blurred in a way that resembled some long nightmare anyway right now. Maybe …

Thankfully, this ethereal brooding was broken quite suddenly by the sound of the loud squeak of a door followed by the muffled mutters of a pair of familiar voices. All other thought previous to this was mercifully forgotten as he tiptoed to the corner. Peering around, he saw Nyaasu and Musashi coming his way.

"Oh, hi, Kojiro!" Musashi exclaimed.

"Nya!" Nyaasu said cheerfully; they both looked in rather good moods.

"What are you doing?" asked Kojiro curiously.

"Just looking around," said Musashi with a shrug.

"You wouldn't believe all the ny-eat stuff we found, Kojiro, nya!"

Sliding a hand onto his hip and lifting a mild hand, Kojiro pointed out, "Well, I _did_ live here, you know."

"N-yeah, but does anyone even _go_ down here, nya?" asked Nyaasu strolling past and starting the way from which Kojiro had come.

Musashi and Kojiro followed.

"If they didn't, the place would be a lot dustier," said Kojiro.

"Well, the servants, sure, but your parents, I'll bet they sure don't," said Nyaasu as he tried another door and peered inside. "Nya, any-other sheet covered room, Musashi."

"Meh, skip it," said Musashi, and she turned to Kojiro. "We found this one room that had so much weird stuff it was like a museum. How did the Niwa family get so rich anyway?"

Kojiro shrugged. "It was a long time ago. Mostly it's just legends now how they got their fortune, but they were really popular with some ancient royalty, and there is one documented history about one of the Niwas winning a war for a king using incredible military strategy and courage, but I think the fortune was from more than that even if he was made a pretty great name after that."

"What about the legends?" asked Musashi. "Don't you believe them?"

"I don't know," said Kojiro. "Most of them weren't really even told to me, come to think of it. It's just always labeled as 'family legends' and my parents didn't go into them. Only some of the servants would say anything, but I was too busy with tutors and all that to listen to stories of servants." He paused thoughtfully a moment. "Well, I guess there was that one Grammy and Grampy liked to tell me about one of my ancestors making friends with a draganair that lived in an abandoned treasure hold in the mountains." He shook his head. "Besides Hiroshige Niwa (that's the general), I wasn't told much about what happened before this house was built, but the house was built when my great, great grandfather went to the Western Regions. He was fascinated by their ways and even brought home a wife from way out there back here to the Kanto Region. The house was made for her, but then … uh …" he twiddled his fingers. "She died shortly after it was completed in an accident."

Musashi rolled her eyes. "She died …" she grumbled. "Typical! Do all aristocrats have to be so melancholic and cliché?"

"It's the law, Musashi, you should kny-ow that, nya," said Nyaasu.

Lightning struck as if on cue.

"Ug," Musashi said, destroying the atmosphere before it could get any further.

The trio walked along the passage in silence for a few moments more as Nyaasu peaked through every other door.

"Oh," said Kojiro suddenly. "I just wanted to let you guys know that I was going to spend the night with Gar-Chan.

"Will your parents approve of that?" asked Musashi innocently.

But before Kojiro could answer, both he and Musashi's attention was stolen away by the grunting of Nyaasu as he struggled with a door that would not open.

"Locked, nya," said the cat, and he turned up to Kojiro. "What's in there, nya?"

"That's Ichiro's room," replied Kojiro lightly.

He continued walking onward, but Musashi stopped quite abruptly, staring wide-eyed for a few seconds.

"Who's that, nya?" asked Nyaasu.

"My older brother," said Kojiro.

"What do you mean, your brother?" Musashi demanded.

"N-yeah, you ny-ever told us there was a brother living here," said Nyaasu; he paused. "If he's the older one, how come they're not bothering with _him_ about marriage, nya?"

Now Kojiro stopped, and turning rather solemnly, he said, "I never met him."

"_Nani_?" asked his friends, quite confused now, but after a moment or two, Musashi held out her hands and waved them back.

"Whoa, whoa, he's dead, isn't he?" Musashi said.

Again lightning struck as if on cue, and both Musashi and Nyaasu shuddered visibly as they waited for Kojiro's answer. This time Musashi could not break the ominous spell of the mansion as her eyes steadied on Kojiro's face, looking quite queer as it reflected the lightning flashes.

Kojiro nodded, but he did not seem quite as shaken as the other two were.

"It's okay, though, it happened before I was born," he said.

"What happened?" Musashi ventured to ask.

"No one knows," said Kojiro. "He was four and got mysteriously sick. Then he died."

Nyaasu shifted his eyes to Musashi, and Musashi looked slowly back.

Once more lightning struck filling the corridor with eerie shadows and a shaken aura before it turned to a miserable, dark gloom once again.

"We gotta get him outa here, nya," Nyaasu whispered.

Musashi could not agree more.


	6. Rest and Relaxation

JMJ

CHAPTER SIX:

Rest and Relaxation

The change occurred almost the instant the trio left the Niwa estate. His face brightened, his whole continence straightened, and he was much better company than he had been in quite some time. Kojiro, Nyaasu, and Musashi arrived in Sunyshore City just before lunch, and the moment they stepped off the plane, Nyaasu pointed out the nearest restaurant on their map. They then made their way along the beach quite happily running, jumping, laughing.

Autumn was already closing in this far north, and swimming at the beach was no longer as enjoyable of an activity as it would have been a month before. Though, many still did attempt it, the trio used to the warmer temperatures of the south did not feel they would enjoy swim suits (though they could handle far worse conditions but they were on vacation) much less a dip in the frigid sea.

They did things fairly. First Musashi would choose a place, and then Kojiro, and then Nyaasu. He was last because, as Musashi pointed out, Nyaasu chose the restaurant when they got off the plan, so he had technically went first. Nyaasu had protested with a high pitched meow and a sticking out of his tongue but relented to Musashi's decision in the end.

Thus, they had a lovely few days going everywhere from the seashore to the live theatre shows, to shopping centers and gift shops. The taste tested every restaurant and most snack bars and street venders. They went indoor roller skating and outdoor boat renting. They fished, they got massages; they did not hang around the pokémon battles often. They had seen more than their fair share of battles and contests. In fact, half of their time in Hoenn had been sitting watching or attempting to participate in those contests. Though, they did stop by one battle just to say they went to one without having any ill intent involved — at least that was how Kojiro put it. Nyaasu got drunk at the night club they stopped at as his little body did not hold much alcohol, and Musashi got her pocket almost picked, which caused a big ruckus and a pokémon battle of their own in which the little pickpocket with only one little pacharisu. Both ran off before the battle ended, but had succeeded in stealing some pocket change anyway. These were merely setbacks, however. Most of their time was spent quite happily. By the end of the week the trio had stopped by almost everywhere that could possibly be seen, and Kojiro's decision to go to a small petting zoo could almost have been blamed on just adding another place to the list, but Nyaasu and Musashi soon discovered what had caught Kojiro's eye.

The chimecho, of course!

Musashi and Nyaasu sighed.

"We should've kny-own, nya," muttered Nyaasu.

Musashi shrugged and leaned over the gate near at hand. "At least he's happy," she whispered back.

"N-yeah," said Nyaasu stretching lazily and clicking the roof of his mouth. "I think this vacation's doing him just as well as we wanted it to."

"See!" exclaimed Kojiro suddenly as the chimecho nearest him swirled about in her gentle way, and he laughed with childish excitement. "Isn't she cute?"

"Yep, she's adorable, Kojiro," said Musashi, grinning widely.

Kojiro did not notice the crack in her smile caused by the forcing of that exaggerated expression on her face. His focus was almost entirely on the chimecho, which wrapped around his arm now. Kojiro stroked her gently and his beaming face softened tenderly.

"You are such a pretty girl," he sighed just as another chimecho floated over to investigate this strange, happy human.

"Y'kny-ow, Kojiro," said Nyaasu suddenly after an involuntary roll of his eyes. "Why don't you just go visit _your_ chimecho, nya?"

Kojiro's boyish glee turned to a start of surprise as he spun around suddenly to look at his friends.

Now it must be said that Nyaasu had meant nothing serious by his comment. It had merely been a careless whim that he did not think at all about before he said it. In fact, it took Nyaasu a little by surprise to see how suddenly Kojiro had jumped at the suggestion. One might have thought that Nyaasu had asked him to visit a ghost, but his chimecho was not dead. On the contrary one could believe his chimecho to be quite well living as happy as a pokémon could on the grounds of the summer home near Saffron City with Grammy and Grampy.

The chimecho now beside Kojiro cocked her head and made a soft, little, "_Chime_?" asking if her friendly visitor was all right.

Even the owner of the group of chimecho looked lazily up from his chair from under his broad brimmed hat not far off; though none of the trio noticed him.

Kojiro smiled distantly at the little creatures and then back at his companions.

Musashi now smiled too, and it was not at all false this time. "We could stop by and visit him on the way back," she pointed out.

"Yeah …" Kojiro said mysteriously.

With a loud sigh, Musashi strolled in front of Kojiro and made an act as if to strike him across the face. The chimecho darted back a little, and Kojiro ducked his head, but she purposely missed as she swung her hand down toward him. She leaned in closely and leered into his face for a moment as Kojiro lifted his head from his cowering.

Looking strangely back at Musashi, he silently asked her why she was not going to pummel him even though he was grateful she had decided against it.

"Kojiro …" she began, and then stopped suddenly.

"What?" asked Kojiro.

"Ny-eah, what?" demanded Nyaasu, leaping forward.

Musashi growled and shook her head. "Come on, we've spent enough time here. Nyaasu, it's your turn to choose something."

"Nya?" Nyaasu lifted a brow.

"But we just got here!" Kojiro complained, and then paused. "Musashi? Are you …"

But Musashi was already leaving, marching across the grass to the walkway leading back into the city streets from the park.

Nyaasu and Kojiro looked at each briefly and then chased quickly after their undecipherable, female companion. When Musashi got like this it was best not to ask, wasn't it? Thus, the trio left the chimecho prematurely. Kojiro looked once behind with a wistful sigh but soon raced after his companions again.

The owner of the chimecho shook his head and leaning back in his chair dozed off again as one of his chimecho came to sing around him merrily.

#

It really had not been that long since the trio had stood before the doorstep of this summer residence of the Niwa family (they had more than one), and this one was literally a castle. Between that episode and now, Musashi had forgotten how literal the word "castle" was in this case. Stone walls, draw bridges, and long narrow windows. One almost expected a knight in glistening armor to trot out upon his flaming rapidash mount with all medieval nobility.

The gates were open, and the quiet peace of the little fortress surrounded the guests and welcomed them onto this familiar landscape.

As the trio neared the door in silence, Musashi could not help but remember the events that had taken place last time. A strange thought occurred to her as well. Kojiro's behavior that night when she and Nyaasu had been slipping away with pokémon in the old couples' care and even the pokémon of the brat boy and company, came to her mind. Something in him then had come out in full now. A strange thought that she did not want to admit presented itself that Kojiro had not lost his mind after all, but something he had been locking away as a member of Team Rocket had been given a taste of light when Musashi and Nyaasu had tried to steal from that kind old couple. That same something had been released now, except that whether for better or for worse in the long run, Kojiro did not seem able to handle this release very well.

She turned to present Kojiro, looking as nervous as a child on the first day of school and as awkward as a prisoner finally allowed to step out into the sunshine. He had a look of guilt on his face too. It was that guilty puppy look that made Musashi irritated, and she closed her squinting eyes and turned to her feet.

_Stupid, Kojiro,_ she thought sulkily, and she kicked Nyaasu.

"Nyah!" cried the cat in pain and bewilderment, and one recovered, he spun around to Musashi. "Whadja kick me for, you many-iac, nya!?"

"Yeah, what did you kick him for?" Kojiro demanded through a curious frown.

"Nothing! He was in my way!" snapped Musashi.

Nyaasu lunged for her with ready claws, but luckily Kojiro was able to snatch him just in time even if he still reached out toward her with fierce claws.

"Nyaasu, Nyaasu, come on!" Kojiro cried and turned to Musashi. "Musashi!"

"Oh, fine," she said, flipping her hair carelessly. "Sorry I kicked him."

"N-yeah, I bet you are, nya," growled Nyaasu, but Kojiro found it safe to release him now upon the walkway.

Kojiro sighed, and closing his eyes, he stepped the last few paces to the door, and just as he was about to knock, the door opened for him.

The trio's eyes widened in surprise.

"Kojiro?" asked the grandmotherly voice behind the door.

The windows were opened, and Grammy and Grampy must have heard the trio's voices bickering out here before Kojiro had reached the door.

The tiny woman smiled now quite broadly and as openly as the manner in which she open the door to its full ability.

"Kojiro," she said cheerfully. "We knew you'd be back soon. Chimecho is as good as new."

Clasping his hands together with eyes watering in spite of himself, Kojiro gasped merrily, "Really? He's all better!"

"Of course!" exclaimed the good keeper of the house, and after a pause to look over the other two outside (Musashi was having a case of déjà vu; despite the welcome being quite different it reminded her instantly of strolling up to the doors of Kojiro's parents' permanent house just a couple weeks before) and she nodded in a mysterious manner more to herself than to the guests. "Come on in, please!" she said and stepping aside, she allowed Kojiro, then Nyaasu, and lastly Musashi into the house.

"Your chimecho is in the greenhouse. That's where my husband is too at the moment. I was actually getting lunch ready before you arrived. Come on, don't be shy. I'm sure Chimecho is eager to see you again. He missed you very much."

"He did?" asked Kojiro. "You could tell?"

Grammy nodded. "Yes, he would often look out at the walkway expecting you to return, and everyone who did come to the door, he would come to inspect if it was you."

Kojiro visibly choked down a sob. "_Hontou_?" he gasped.

"Well, he loved you to death, nya," Nyaasu muttered.

"Hmm, he distracted you enough," Musashi added.

"Yeah, he did …" Kojiro said, his voice trailing away, and he stopped followed.

"Kojiro?" asked Grammy, turning. "Are you alright?"

The nod Kojiro returned her with was not at all convincing. "Yeah, I was just thinking."

Grammy smiled and gently lifted Kojiro's hand in hers. She patted his hand with her other hand.

"There, there," she said. "Come on. We'll get you some tea, dear, and you can relax a bit, how's that sound? You look very uptight."

"Okay," Kojiro murmured.

"Come on, you two come too," said Grammy motioning for Nyaasu and Musashi.

Into the warmth of the kitchen, she led them. Unlike the dizzyingly, massive corridors of the rest of the castle, the kitchen was as sweet and comforting as a home only found in dreams, and certainly was the only place that felt "summer home"-like. The tea rested on an old-fashioned stove, and a fireplace, though no fire was lit it, seemed to fill the room with a different sort of heat. The ceiling was just high enough not to cause claustrophobia, and herbs and spices hanged here and there. Besides making the room feel all the more cozy, these filled the room with a pleasant aroma. It was obvious that when the old housekeepers were not in their greenhouse or outside on the grounds that this was where they would be. Many a cold winter would find this heart of warmth and homey peace that kept its residents warmer than all the blazing fireplaces and floor heat in the world.

Musashi could almost see now the old woman darning something that needed mending as she sat back in the rocking chair while the old man sat in a table chair turned from the little wooden table in the corner toward the full hearth. On his lap would be sitting a baby pokémon of some kind as he coaxed the newly rescued creature to drink from the bottle of milk in the old man's hand.

Shaking her head out of the little scene in her mind as she lifted her eyes from the steam of the tea cup that had been handed to her, Musashi looked across at Kojiro again and knew why Kojiro had called these housekeepers "Grammy" and "Grampy" as a child.

She watched as Grammy and soon Grampy as well coming in from the greenhouse and greeted everyone pleasantly surprised, welcomed Kojiro as if he had been expected that very day to come. Far more than his parents had, they received him back into their hearts as a prodigal son returned from the dead of his wayward life. They had not killed the fattened calf, but their hugs and tea and rice cakes certainly showed this love and relief at his return.

Certainly his own grandparents were much like his parents and had to be referred to as "Grandmother" and "Grandfather" in the most formally stiff manner and grace. As Kojiro had explained the last time they had come here, this was the only place where he had been allowed to feel like a child. That was because this was the only place that felt like a real home, and before taking a sip of the deep, refreshing sencha, she added a very small Kojiro to that scene she had recently created. She placed him at the feet of Grampy as he watched with wide, glistening green eyes the pokémon (a little eevee maybe or a ratatta perhaps) finally comfortable enough to drink.

"This tea is perfect, Grammy-san, nya!" exclaimed Nyaasu cheerily as he looked up from his half-empty cup (the greedy little cat).

Grammy smiled. "Thank you very much, Nyaasu."

Grampy winked. "After many years, one learns to brew to perfection."

Nyaasu nodded and closed his eyes, soaking in every ounce of peace from the place (not to mention slipping away a couple of those rice cakes), quite the opposite of Kojiro who seemed to somehow feel that he did not deserve to let even a little bit of the peace ease his stiffened form and mind. Musashi sighed and took another sip calmly from her own cup.

"Now, Kojiro," said Grammy earnestly. "Tell us what's troubling you."

Shoulders finally relaxed a little, and straightening himself, Kojiro exhaled a long-held breath as he closed his eyes ready to speak.

"I …"

Grammy and Grampy waited with patience only found in those kindly aged people of their sort.

"I … don't even know how to start," Kojiro said.

He sagged over the table so that his nose almost touched the wood in front of him and his hair brushed over it.

"Take your time," said Grammy. "There's no rush, and there's no need to hide anything you need to get out."

Another pause fell upon the little kitchen, and then a queer choke sounded quite suddenly, so suddenly that Musashi almost did not realize at first that it had escaped the throat of Kojiro. Her eyes narrowed intensely upon him, but Kojiro did not see her. With gobs of tears swelling, he let out another choke not quite as savage as the first and sobbed, barely decipherable through the tightening of his throat, "Oh, Grammy!" And he fell upon her as one less than half his age, not that he had ever truly acted his age as far as Musashi knew him.

Musashi's eyes fell to her feet, but her posture was straighter and more solemn than it had been before the outburst.

She felt suddenly as if she was invading upon something she and Nyaasu had no right to see, and looking down at Nyaasu she tapped the cat lightly on the shoulders.

"Mmm?" Nyaasu looked up; his face read the same as Musashi felt.

Even still she nodded her head to the door.

Nyaasu was already in the process of hopping from his stool, and Grammy, Grampy, and Kojiro did not look up as they left.

Musashi did not stop until she reached the front door, and here she paused, suddenly feeling very lost. For moment she did not know what she was doing and the void of uncertainty opened before her like a great pit in the earth. She stared down into that mysterious darkness and wondered what in world she was doing here. What in the world did she think allowing Kojiro to do all this with his parents and his old life was going to accomplish? What in the world would she do if she suddenly was freed from her promise to stay with him until he figured things out, opened before her even deeper, though. For the first time, a sickening feeling had fallen upon her that made her feel more alone than how she felt wandering those jungles after she and Kojiro had escaped her empress fate, a feeling that even Team Rocket would be unable to fill that empty void even if they had not decided to pursue Kojiro's fancy here. She had not felt so lost since she had been expelled from the chancey nursing school before she had joined that biker gang to fill that need for purpose that all souls have.

"Nya?"

Her mind did a leap through a vortex back to the sight of the door handle in front of her, and she turned sharply to Nyaasu beside her as her hands fell away from the handle.

"I just had this strange thought, Nyaasu," she said rather like one still lost in sleep.

"Nya?" asked the cat.

"Just that Kojiro …" she shook her head. "Ah, forget it."

Nyaasu shrugged. "Okay," he said. "Kojiro will be fine. He just needs to let off some pressure, nya."

Musashi lifted her head in alarm. "You don't think he'll tell them about …" she paused and looked around as if someone may be eavesdropping; lowering her head and cupping her mouth, she whispered, "you know."

Shaking his head, unconcerned, Nyaasu replied, "Kojiro's not that stupid." And he paused. "Is he, nya?"

"No," said Musashi shaking her head. "I don't know, but we're not going in there until he's done. Even if he does tell them, I doubt they'll do anything drastic. They didn't even turn us in for being Team Rocket agents last time we were here."

"Why would they, nya?" Nyaasu demanded.

Throwing a hand aside, Musashi pushed open the door.

"Oh, forget it!" she said.

"Ny-o, really, nya!" Nyaasu said hopping after her. "They wouldn't turn him in. Kojiro rescued their pokémon, and besides even though they did know he was working for Team Rocket, they love him. Going to prison wouldn't have changed him, nya."

"I said forget it!" snapped Musashi.

The door closed behind them.

#

"Oh, Grammy," said Kojiro again through waves of tears as he cried upon one of the only of two people in the whole world that he loved with that child love and devotion for a grandparent. "I don't know what to do anymore! It's so hard to know what to do! I tried, I really tried to do what's right, but I don't even know anymore what's right and what's wrong! You were wrong about me. I'm _not_ a good person! I never _was_ a good person! I'm nothing but a rotten, stupid, gutless Team Rocket agent!"

All while through these great sobs and wild rants, Grammy and Grammy waited patiently. One hand Grammy placed on Kojiro's tightly clenched fist and other she used to gently, slowly rub Kojiro's shaking shoulders. Grampy was near at hand just as patiently. Even while he was crying, Kojiro knew that he should not be behaving this way, and he loved the old couple all the more for their mild serenity while he lost it in Grammy's lap like a five year old, but it took some time before he could control himself.

"I don't deserve your kindness," he choked. "I don't even deserve Chimecho back. He's better off here with you and Grampy! He probably would have _died_ if he had stayed with me working to do evil, rotten things for me. You should call the police now, and I should be locked away for life!" And here he could speak no more as his swollen sobs took full possession of his throat, stifling his voice box; though by now his tears had slowed a little.

"Kojiro," said Grammy, giving his shoulders one last stroke before he lifted his head to look at her gentle face.

"Sorry …" Kojiro said, his voice quavering with heavy breathing.

Slowly, he brought himself back into his chair; he straightened himself and cleared his throat, though, his breathing had not yet recovered from the mournful attack through his body. He wiped a tear on his sleeve and sniffled a little.

"There," said Grammy. "Now, are you alright?"

Kojiro nodded, but he answered, "I don't know."

"Before you go on, there is one thing I'd like to say," said Grampy.

"Anything," said Kojiro, catching himself just before he let out another sob.

Grampy looked down a moment with deep somberness, and after this calm silence, he lifted his head back up again and said, "You don't have your uniform."

Kojiro raised a brow in confusion. "Wha—?" He shook his head. "Well, that doesn't really mean anything. I've been in tons of disguises."

"But you would not have been in disguise coming here," said Grampy. "We already know you worked for Team Rocket."

A frown fell upon Kojiro's face, but he said nothing.

"Besides," Grampy went on, "I didn't just mean the uniform you wear on your body. The last time you came here, you had your uniform over your heart."

Kojiro's eyes steadied on Grampy. His breathing suddenly very minimal, and all mournfulness was swept away with his intensity for this awkward phrasing to be explained. Though, Grampy and Grammy's phrasing had often been strange. They lived here by themselves very thoughtful and quiet people, helping lost and wounded pokémon. He felt a little like a wounded pokémon himself in their quiet kitchen, the only place in the house besides maybe their bedroom that could really be called theirs. The rest of the house was dominated by his parents' décor and tastes.

"You feared for your position even though you were honest in not letting your friends steal pokémon from here," Grampy went on.

Grammy nodded now as she caught on to what her husband said. "Yes, and you've come to us in a way you would not have come in if your heart had been fully with Team Rocket, and I don't think it ever was completely."

Closing his eyes Kojiro looked down.

His heart may not have ever fully been with Team Rocket, but that did not change what he had done while a member. Only now did he realize that neither Grammy nor Grampy fully knew what he had been capable of. What treachery he had committed, what children he had tried to kill, or how insanely pitiful he had been grappling for dignity that he could never achieve in his weak emotionalism and base life style. They still saw Kojiro as that simple-minded, little boy that came to visit while the master and lady went on summer vacations of their own.

They could not understand, but even still, they were right about one thing. Kojiro would not have come as he had if circumstances had been different.

"But what do I do now?" he asked looking from Gammy to Grampy. "I been just going with the flow for so long, I don't know how to fight it anymore. I feel so lost."

"Whatever darkened your soul," said Grammy. "You've woken up from, but you have to take it slowly."

"She's right, Kojiro," said Grampy. "Take it slowly. Each day at a time, and you'll know what to do before long."

Kojiro was not so sure.

"Is there still something you want to say?" asked Grammy.

"It's just …" Kojiro choked a little. "My parents. I don't know … I don't think I ever knew how to … I don't know."

"You're parents love you," said Grampy.

Kojiro squeezed his eyes shut, and the words, "I don't know about that either," almost slipped out. They were so close to slipping out, and his face was such an open book that he did not have to say anything for the old couple to know what he felt.

Grammy and Grampy looked at each other as if asking which should speak next. Grampy nodded and Grammy smiling, turned to Kojiro and said, "Once." She paused allowing time for Kojiro to slowly open his eyes again.

"Once," said Grammy. "There was a young couple who was very sad. Their first son died and they would not have had another child at all if the mother had not already been pregnant with another, but only because they were so heartbroken and could not have dealt with the possibility of such pain happening again. They had their next child, a boy, and their hearts were filled with so much love for him that they could not bear to let him out of their sight. They gave him everything he could ever need. When he was sick they would hire a legion of doctors to get him better. They gave him every toy and game and spoiled him downright rotten, but it was only that they loved their son. Then he came to the age when children start their schooling. They had to think about his future, and so in their enthusiasm they planned everything to perfection. There would be no flaw in the life of their son, but even the best can sometimes lose sight of what they had originally intended."

The story cut off rather sharply, Kojiro thought, and he looked up as if he had suddenly woken from a very deep sleep. He studied Grammy a moment; she looked very serious as she returned his look. During her story she had been looking quite intently at Kojiro's hand, but now their eyes met, and Kojiro noticed how heavily he had been breathing during the whole story. Nodding slowly with his breathing quite back to normal now, he smiled.

"I know," he said. "Thank you."

"So," said Grampy. "Are you ready to see little Chimecho?"

"Yes," breathed Kojiro. "I am."

* * *

**Japanese Phrases:**_  
_

_Hontou: Really_

_NOTE: A bit of AU in this chapter that carried over from the first story. The events of the last time Kojiro went to see Grammy and Grampy are pretty much the same except that he did not keep Mime Junior. Also note that in Japanese the old couple are servants not his grandparents so this bit is not AU.  
_


	7. Coming Out

JMJ

CHAPTER SEVEN:

Coming Out

It was both heartfelt and heartily laughable, the reunion of Kojiro and Chimecho. First they merely looked at each other wide-eyed; then a slow but watchable change overtook them. Their eyes grew larger and they glistened with gleefully goofy tears that matched their slowly and awkwardly curving smiles. A second's pause then followed before Kojiro held out his hands to coddle the tiny creature, but before he could touch him, Chimecho, in one wild and unexpected movement (actually, Nyaasu and Musashi more than expected it), flung himself into Kojiro face, wrapping himself around his head like a headband, except right over his eyes.

"Oh, I missed you so much!" Kojiro sobbed, grabbing onto the little creature as he could, but he did not even attempt to remove him yet.

Nyaasu rolled his eyes, but he could not help but feel happy for Kojiro. Anyone who had known him while Chimecho had been his possession knew that he had been obsessed with him. Nyaasu had never had much liking for the silly thing, except when heal bell came in handy. At least he was better than Victreebel.

Eventually, after standing in the greenhouse long enough with the little blue pokémon over his face like it was the most natural thing in the world, Chimecho loosened his grip with a merry, "_Chime_!" and he smiled at his long missing master.

"You look much better!" Kojiro exclaimed.

"_Chime_!"

"You're liking it here, right?"

"_Chime_!"

"I heard you've been waiting anxiously for me to come back."

"_Chime_!"

There was a short pause.

"Well," said Kojiro, throwing up his hands and grinning. "Wanna go look out at the lake with me?"

As Chimecho nodded, Kojiro wiped a stray tear from his eye and grabbed him once again in a great coddling hug.

Nyaasu and Musashi shrugged.

#

"Okay, let me get this straight," said Musashi closing her eyes as patiently as she could muster; though anyone who looked upon her could tell the strain in her tensed muscles could explode into action any moment. "You just get home from vacation, and they're already at it again … YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY GOING TO GO, ARE YOU?!"

She screamed so loud it shook the foundation of Kojiro's room, and Nyaasu and Kojiro plugging their ears as best they could. They only cringed and waited for the bellow to end.

Peeking out from behind a winking eye lid, Kojiro tenderly removed his hands from his ears and lifted his head toward his companion. Then he said in a tone that had been meant to be quite serious but had ended in sounded more like a typical Kojiro whine, "I have to, Musashi!"

"But _why_?" Musashi gasped, and she kicked an imaginary adversary across the room. "You know why they want you to go!"

"To get married to the girl, nya," said Nyaasu with a shrug. "Doesn't mean he has to."

Musashi growled but chose to ignore the cat for now.

"And she's like, what, four or five years younger than you? She's practically a kid!" Musashi shouted, bringing fists to her face in frustration. "We took you on vacation to get you all calmed down again, but now all our hard work will be ruined in one night with you going to some stupid coming out party for some kid you don't even know!"

Kojiro lowered his head. "Well, I know sort of who she is but—"

"You don't want to marry her!" Musashi snapped.

"Well, no …" admitted Kojiro twiddling his fingers, "but I never even spoke to her before."

"Who kny-ows," said Nyaasu brightly, "maybe you'll change your mind and then you can get married next week and your parents won't bug you about it anymore."

It happened to be Musashi who looked more annoyed than Kojiro about the comment. Kojiro merely stared with blank half-interest, and even if he had been annoyed, his attention was completely stolen away by the sight of Musashi. The pair braced themselves for something of a violent nature, but Musashi suddenly became quite passive. That made both Kojiro and Nyaasu even more worried, though.

"Nyaasu, Nyaasu, why don't you leave the talking to the human grownups?" she chirped.

"Nya," Nyaasu grumbled.

She smiled and put her hands behind her back suspiciously. "How 'bout you see what I got and be a good little kitty and go _away_."

With a snort, Nyaasu opened his mouth to make some black comeback, but his eyes instantly widened onto the object in Musashi's hand.

"Go play!" Musashi snapped and threw the ball so that in landing in the adjoining room.

"Nyah!" Nyaasu cried, suddenly a kitty cat in all respects as he darted after the ball and pounced upon it with a happy purr.

"Now!" said Musashi rubbing her temple before returning to Kojiro. "That takes care of him."

"Musashi, it's just a party," said Kojiro. "I'll be alright."

"No, you won't," said Musashi. "Remember last party? Not even Chimecho could have revived you from that."

At the mention of his little chimecho still with Grammy and Grampy, Kojiro released a heavy sigh.

"You could have brought him with, you know," said Musashi.

Kojiro shook his head. "No, he should stay with them. I can visit him any time, but for his sake Chimecho should stay there. Chimecho, I think now, are kind of delicate creatures. That's probably actually why he got sick in the first place."

"What do you mean?" Musashi demanded, again rubbing her temple, and Kojiro knew how much this whole situation was driving Musashi crazy.

"Well, he …" Kojiro started. "We … uh …" Kojiro threw a hand aside. "Never mind. The point is that the greenhouse with Grammy and Grampy is the best place for him. Besides, I have Gar-Chan and you guys here with me."

"Hmm," was all Musashi replied.

Again Kojiro sighed, but this time it was mostly for Musashi. Being here, dealing with him, dealing with his strange life, it was wearing on his poor friend, but he did not know how to fix it for her. To send her away would only make her more upset, and besides that Kojiro was not sure how he could manage without hers and Nyaasu's support. Regardless of all this, Kojiro felt the words slip to the edge of his tongue that she did not have to stay here with him if it was too much for her. Then he would have added too that he did not blame her. His life was probably one of the weirdest lives in the whole world! But he bit his tongue just in time. It would have done more harm than good to say those things. He knew it.

Instead, he stepped up to Musashi, and with a smile, he rested a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll be okay," he promised. "Chances are I won't even see much of her. She's got a lot of friends, and she probably already has some plans for marriage. It's just formality. Nothing serious will happen."

Musashi closed her eyes a moment, and after a short pause, she said, "Fine, but if I see anything funny going on, I'll be right there, believe me."

The fingers of Kojiro's hand began twiddling again, and then he scratched strangely behind his head where a large sweat drop formed as he shifted his eyes and murmured unintelligible sounds.

"What?" Musashi demanded.

"Well …" said Kojiro timidly. "You're not exactly invited to come."

Straightening, Musashi threw her arms crossed over her chest. "Oh, really?"

"Musashi … please don't do anything …"

"Oh, just go to your party," Musashi grumbled.

Kojiro moaned.

#

The breeze felt a little cold, hinting at the coming of winter, but otherwise the evening proved quite comfortable temperature-wise. Just the right temperature for the dancers in fact, so that they would neither get too hot or too cold. Early autumn was perhaps a good time of year to have a birthday if one liked garden parties.

In the glow of the festively-lit garden, Kojiro had to stifle another moan as he beheld the usual guests at these aristocratic gatherings. It usually did not matter who the host was, the parties would always the same, Kojiro decided. The fancifully shaped lanterns, the lively renaissance musicians, and glittering banners and streamers did not hide the stiff undertones that the gathering brought with them wherever they went. Not that everyone was a stiff, but the ones that were dried much of the flavor out, especially since the only reason for Kojiro's coming to Hoshiko's birthday party was to meet Hoshiko.

She stood near the house. Kojiro picked her out immediately. Her long black waves glistening in the lantern light, and her lazy expression showed signs of both cheerfulness and disinterest. Her poise she used exquisitely to look quite elegant and proper like a Russian doll rather than a young lady.

"She looks quite lovely," said Mr. Niwa. One parent stood on either side of him.

"Yes," Kojiro had to admit, but he said nothing else as he allowed his parents to lead him directly to where Hoshiko greeted her guests.

The introduction could not have been more formal.

First Mr. and Mrs. Niwa greeted the parents of Hoshiko, and then they introduced their son to Hoshiko and her parents did the same for her.

With a somewhat hazed smile, Hoshiko held out her hand amiably and said, "_Enchantée_," with a perfect French accent.

"_Enchanté_," Kojiro managed in return.

Respectfully, he bowed his head as he took her hand, but he had absolutely no intention of kissing that hand.

Hoshiko seemed rather relieved than otherwise, but with strangely candid interest, the young lady suddenly said, "You returned home."

Kojiro would have rather her face remained disinterested. He would have preferred it far better if she had looked at him with a downright leer of apathy or even disgust, but no, she had to be interested. To feel his parents leave his side, he almost felt like a child being left with these strangers, especially strangers that had suddenly taken interest in him, especially, as Musashi pointed out, a little girl. She was sixteen and no older. The last thing he wanted was this pretty, young thing to have any interest in him at all.

Oh, why did he have to be like he was? Maybe if he shaved his head he would look less attractive, but the moment he thought this, he knew that he could never do such a thing. His modern, fashionable hairstyle would not be sacrificed.

Then the girl and the young man were left entirely alone. Kojiro supposed this had all been planned between her parents and his, and oh, that made it all the better, didn't it? He found himself wishing Musashi had been invited, but now he knew why she had not been. His parents still tried to run his whole life behind his back.

His horror must have been present on his face. It usually was, but for the first time a girl who had taken interest in him, actually was interested enough to notice. He smile turned knowing, even slightly wry, and she glanced out at the other guests dancing and swirling about in long dresses and elegant suits.

"They want us to dance, you know," said the girl.

"They do?" squeaked Kojiro.

"I have several other young men I'm to dance with as well," she added.

By the way Hoshiko annunciated he words, Kojiro knew she meant for him to notice, but whether it meant for him to become jealous or that he should not worry about her wanting to marry him, Kojiro could not be sure.

"I suppose we'll have to some time tonight," she went on, and then she turned slowly back to him with a sympathetic smile that he still could not begin to decipher its true meaning. "I heard you joined Team Rocket."

"Uh …" Kojiro hesitated. "Yes …"

"And you've quit now," the girl went on.

"I … suppose," Kojiro admitted and twiddled his fingers as his head sank into his shoulders.

"I mean no offence when I say this, but maybe school would be a better way to go?" laughed the girl. "Just a suggestion. I'm glad you quit Team Rocket, though. Must've been hard."

"What?" Kojiro demanded.

"My father says that if I go to school I don't have to choose anybody soon," said the girl in a light chirp. "I'm quite confident that no one here is going to be the _one_. We're going through the formality, yes, just in case and for propriety I suppose, but there's really no need to fear. My family is not so strict as they may appear."

Kojiro could only blink in confusion.

"I had to tell you this, you see, because I did not expect you to be as you are," Hoshiko said. "When I heard that Jiro-san's son was coming to seek me, I was afraid you'd be big and scary, and the party would be no fun at all. I'm sorry I was thinking so silly, but I when I heard you had been a member of Team Rocket, I expected someone pretty mean, and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to get in mess with all that if you actually wanted to marry me. Excuse my boldness, Kojiro-san, but when I saw the look on your face, I had to be honest with you, otherwise you probably wouldn't have enjoyed the party either, and I wouldn't have liked that at all."

A slow smile crept over Kojiro's face, and as he beheld this bubbly, talkative girl hiding an obviously thoughtful mind quite deserving of her plans for further schooling, he could not help but laugh. The laugh was perhaps a little uncalled for as it was on the verge of maniacal, despite how he tried to stifle it.

Hoshiko jumped in surprise. "What's so funny? You're not offended?"

Kojiro quickly cleared his throat.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I'm not offended at all."

"_Ii wa ne_!" said the girl, and she offered him a glass of wine before lifting a glass of her own. "Then how 'bout a toast? A toast to a good acquaintanceship."

"A good acquaintanceship!" agreed Kojiro. "_Ii kanji_!"

"More than _ii kanji_!" exclaimed Hoshiko.

With a sigh of relief, Kojiro brought the glass to his lips. He did not even bother to ask what could be better than _ii kanji_, but just as he was taking his first sip he heard something that quite took all relief and contentment away and dashed the evening for good.

"Ah, Kojiro …" said a sickeningly familiar voice.

Involuntarily, Kojiro spit his wine right back out again except what he had missed and choked upon, and after a few coughs and gags and wiping his mouth, he turned with wild eyes that focused directly in upon that dreaded figure behind him.

"Rumika!" Kojiro screeched.

"It's me, Kojiro! Did you miss me?" there was a hint of sarcasm in her sugar-sweet voice.

Hoshiko turned from Kojiro to Rumika and back again.

"Is something wrong?" asked the girl.

"Wrong!" laughed Rumika, and she grinned slyly. "Oh, no nothing's wrong. I just didn't expect to see Kojiro here. I would have thought he would be gallivanting off doing whatever droll things he does with that crazy peasant and that cat freak, but I should have expected to see him here, after all."

Kojiro gulped. This couldn't end well. Something was up and he didn't like it at all.

"You wouldn't mind if I stole him for a dance, would you, Hoshiko?"

"Well …" began the girl with a deep frown, but before she could say more, Rumika had snatched Kojiro away.

At first Kojiro was too much in a fog to protest as he followed her out onto the grounds where the other dancers glided along. The colors and the lights suddenly became dizzying and for a brief moment, Kojiro felt light headed enough to faint or possibly throw up.

But as soon as they had stopped, Kojiro turned to Rumika with a dangerous leer as he managed to take hold of himself.

"So you broke off our engagement for another girl?" sniffed Rumika, and she grinned at Kojiro with a strange glint.

But Kojiro snatched himself away. He would not allow himself to be tortured by her any longer, and he certainly had no need to fear her taking drastic measures with the very sane hosts of this party in charge of things.

"You can't shove me like that!" cried Rumika, but she quickly recovered herself and drew very close. "If I can't have you nobody can," she whispered with a sickeningly sweet smile.

That was the last straw, and here was where Kojiro put his foot down.

"Rumika," he said more seriously than he had ever spoken to her before.

"What?" asked Rumika unconcerned, but it surprised Kojiro that she responded at all.

"No," he said, and turning away he began to march in some undecided direction.

He did not have a chance to decide where he went, for the moment he turned Rumika had him by the collar. As he let out an eye-crossed, tongue lolling choke, Rumika took a stronger hold on his arm with her other hand, right where he had been bitten. The wound did not hurt really anymore, but there was something strangely symbolic about her touch that made a cold chill run through Kojiro as if she was the touch of yuki ona. It took a moment then for Kojiro to find resistance so that Rumika had him yanked right in front of her again before he could shove her away in terror and anger.

Freed again from her grasp, the two young people glared at each other, fists in front as if ready to duke it out quite improperly. It seemed possible that they might have too had the intensity between them lasted any longer, but just at that moment another hand grabbed at Kojiro, and with a frightful squeak Kojiro hardly saw who it was that had snatched him before a cheerful voice exclaimed, "OH!"

Even Rumika stood back shocked by the presence of this strange woman with long waves of sea-green curls and extra makeup on her face, her dress especially gaudy and bounced and swayed considerably as she swept over the law.

"You found my dancing partner!" the woman squealed with delight.

And before either Kojiro or Rumika could respond, this energetic figure had Kojiro halfway across the party grounds.

"Hey!" Rumika finally called marching a few steps forward. "You ruined my life, Kojiro!"

But Kojiro was hidden soon enough by the throngs of other guests. Besides that the woman had dragged him very near the musicians where even if Rumika did see them she would make an utter fool of herself in front of all the dancers if she interfered.

"You ruined your own life," the woman muttered.

Finally, Kojiro was forced to look upon the woman who he found himself dancing with, but even before he looked, he knew perfectly well who lay behind all that hair dye, makeup, and frills.

"Musashi!" he gasped; he almost fell into her arms. "Oh, am I glad to see you!"

"So you're glad I came?" sniffed Musashi as she continued to dance.

"You know it's not cuz I didn't want you to come," returned Kojiro.

They both knew many dances quite well. Members of Team Rocket, especially those who thought they wanted to be field agents, had to know how to blend in. They had to know how to play several sports, at least know one other language but many were highly encouraged, acting lessons were given, and knowing how to hack and being able to sing was also encouraged but not all agents did. All agents knew how to dance, though, and in the case of Kojiro and Musashi, one could almost say they had danced right through their Team Rocket career with all their theatrical flamboyance.

Now they danced as if their life depended on it, for Rumika did appear not too far off. In wide but graceful swoops, they danced to the other side of the musician stage, and Rumika tried again to follow. This time, however, Nyaasu happened to show up seemingly out of nowhere, and he had managed quite easily to slip her shoe off of her foot.

"Nya, nya!" Nyaasu cried.

"Hey!" Rumika shrieked as she spun around toward the cat. "Give that back!"

But of course, Nyaasu had no intention of complying. Picking the shoe up in his mouth, he darted through the crowds of people, and Rumika angrily raced after him. Out across the party grounds, he emerged on the other side and sped over the open grass as fast as he could. Nyaasu let out a scream through his teeth as he realized how fast Rumika was catching up with him. Had he really lost it that much in those past couple weeks lazing around doing nothing on vacation or at Kojiro's house? Or was that just how determined Rumika was to get back what she felt was rightfully hers.

"Come back here!" Rumika cried.

But Nyaasu did not even look back as he ran right up into a tall tree. From here, he looked down and taking the shoe out of his mouth, he shook it in the air above his head tauntingly.

"Give me back my shoe, _neko_, _neko_," said Rumika tersely, but with a queer smile as she reached for a pokéball and held it daintily under her chin. "Or I'll be forced to take it from you."

"Nyah!" cried Nyaasu fearfully, and he tossed the desired item down to the foot of the tree.

Rumika put the ball away and snatched up her shoe.

"Yuck!" she spat as she brushed off the dirt and cat spit.

"See ya, nya!" called Nyaasu with a salute.

Rumika stiffened with recognition, but before she turned to look up into the tree again, Nyaasu had already gone.

JAPANESE PHRASES:

_Ii wa ne: _That's great

_Ii kanji: _Good feeling

yuki ona: Japanese mythical ghostly spirit of winter that sucks the life out of people, especially men which she can lure to their death. Sometimes with a mere touch she can kill. Other times she is said to be vampire-like. There are many variations of her.

_Neko: _cat


	8. Killing Kojiro

JMJ

CHAPTER EIGHT:

Killing Kojiro

"Where's he going, nya?" asked Nyaasu pointing a paw out to where Kojiro with Gar-Chan was disappearing out of the view of the window.

"He's always going," Musashi grumbled as she lowered amongst the hot tub bubbles. She had cranked them up all the way since Nyaasu started looking out the window.

Nyaasu, wearing a little, kitty-type robe, stood on his tiptoes on a chair to see through the modern, horizontal, narrow window out onto the moor-like landscape into which had Kojiro had fled.

"He's looking moody again too, nya," Nyaasu commented; he turned to look Musashi.

A low growl sounded beneath the bubbles. Musashi's face was only high enough to enable her to breathe through her nose.

"It's like the vacation ny-ever happened," said Nyaasu. "You'd think his parents would ny-otice something wrong with their son, nya. He's getting kinda peaked lately too, and he hasn't been eating much, nya."

"'Peaked'?" grumbled Musashi, and she eyed Nyaasu with an irate glance as she lifted her head back out of the water. "Nyaasu, seriously? 'Peaked'?"

"Well, he doesn't look well," said Nyaasu.

With an idle shrug, the cat slipped down into the chair and closed his eyes.

"But 'peaked'?" Musashi demanded. "They're _killing_ him!"

Nyaasu snorted. "Don't tell _me_, nya," said Nyaasu. "Oh, he's going out again. His parents are taking him out this evening, nya."

"WHAT?!" snarled Musashi.

"Why should that surprise you, nya?" Nyaasu asked, lifting a lazy lid.

Musashi made a violent movement that caused the water to splash around her.

"It doesn't! I'm just—_URRR_!"

"We could tie him up and drag him away, nya?" Nyaasu suggested.

"That won't change anything," said Musashi. "He still won't be the same! He'll be all upset and stubborn in his stupid stubborn way. He won't go anywhere with us! He's — he's insane!"

"Well, he's putting up a fight, n-yeah," said Nyaasu.

A shudder of rage shook Musashi.

"And you're not taking this seriously!" she snapped. "You never take anything seriously!"

Aside from a dark, childish scowl Nyaasu did not reply.

"I think you're getting too comfortable here," said Musashi. "And I don't like it. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted to stay here!"

"Nya, look at _you_, spending half your time in the hot tub, nya," Nyaasu retorted. "I'm a cat. I make myself comfortable where I want. If we go, if we stay, I make myself comfortable how I can, but I kny-ow one thing Musashi, nya."

Musashi waited, but Nyaasu did not explain what he thought he knew so well, so that she was forced to ask, "And what's that?"

"You won't want to hear it," said Nyaasu. "You already kny-ow too. You're just in deny-ial, nya."

A great wave swept over the side of the hot tub and washed over the comfortable cat. In a leap and a screaming meow Nyaasu turned to Musashi, fur and robe dripped wet and eyes blazing in his large head.

Musashi did not notice however. She would hear no more as she finally pulled herself out of the hot tub. Grabbing a towel, which too had gotten a little wet from her splash, she violently rubbed herself down.

"Where are you going, nya?" Nyaasu demanded.

"To settle this once and for all!" Musashi snarled. "I had it! This ends today! Ever since we lost him in that tower he's been a nervous wreck! Now he gives up Team Rocket! He gives up his freedom! He gives up everything, and for what?! And all his parents do is sit around and try to get him married! Well, there won't be a family heir to carry on the name before long! This whole thing is stupid! I'm surrounded by melancholic maniacs!"

And with that she stomped off to the shower room.

Hopping across the floor for a hamper where the extra towels were kept, Nyaasu pried off his robe and dried himself with a towel before waiting for Musashi to reemerge from the shower room, and she did quite quicker than expected. Her hair was still dripping wet and her clothes were very ruffled and not situated just right, but this was a woman on a mission if there ever was one, and Nyaasu had to see what she thought she was going to do. She did not even seem to know that he followed her as she marched out into the rest of the house, storming the halls and tearing up and down staircases.

So she was not going to stop Kojiro. Nyaasu's first thought surrounded the idea that Musashi would chase him down and talk some sense into him, but this proved far better. Knocking sense into his parents! Unless, of course she just made them mad and got them both kicked out of the house, either way the monotony would be ending soon.

#

"_YOU_!"

Never had Musashi seen Mrs. Niwa leap in such a manner as she had now. Normally, she might have thought it near comical, but Musashi had no room in her mind for humor. Not when she felt her body would explode with rage and frustration. She felt like pulling out her hair, she was so frustrated. Every muscle in her body shook with passion as she closed in the gap between herself and Mrs. Niwa on the other side of the long corridor. The closer she came the more fearful Mrs. Niwa looked until by the time Musashi was about five feet away, she almost looked like she was about to flee, but she did not. She simply stood there staring, especially once Musashi opened her mouth again.

"You don't even care, do you?" she said. "He comes all the way here from the Hoenn Region risking everything to see you! He didn't even know that Rumika wasn't here anymore, and he's scared to death of her! You have no idea how hard it was for him to come here, and all you're thinking about is your dumb family name! You know why he came here? Do you really know why he came? Because he wanted to help you, because he felt it was his duty as your son to help you because you're both crazy! You won't even talk to him, and he's too … uh, _something_ to talk to you! And you don't even care! Have you _looked_ at him recently? He didn't look like that when he first came, you know! You're killing your own son! And you DON'T EVEN CARE!"

Breathing heavily, Musashi finally reached the end of all she could think of to say, and she suddenly realized that what she had done would probably have her thrown out into the street and banished from the estate, but she did not care.

She supposed some of what she said probably had not been entirely true, but she had been so frustrated and she doubted any of this would get through to those robots in frills that true aristocrats were. Mrs. Niwa probably would be more shocked out of the principle of the fact that this commoner would be shouting at her like this, and did not even hear what she actually said.

"Okay, I'm done," said Musashi lightly as she prepared herself to leave.

But what Musashi saw next she almost fainted clean away to see. Those angry tears burning to be released from a face that would not let them fall in her pride as Mrs. Niwa glared at Musashi. Her body may have been stiff, but it was the stiffness of an inner agony.

Biting her lip, Musashi felt a wave of guilt run through her like a knife, and she suddenly regretted that she had flown into such a rage to get her point across. The wounded expression on Mrs. Niwa's face was something she had seen many time before, but not on her, not on anyone else's face but one. Kojiro's.

This woman, for the first time Musashi realized, was Kojiro's mother. Only then did it truly dawn on her, that Kojiro was her son. Through all the blue blooded stiffness and propriety Mrs. Niwa and no doubt Mr. Niwa too were like their son, or perhaps it would be better to say that he was like his parents. They just hid it all and Kojiro let it all fly like uncontrollable pichu sparks. She suddenly felt more a stranger here than she ever had before, and a chill ran down her spine as she stepped a pace backward.

All this went through her mind in a matter of seconds, and the quick thinking, and impulsive Musashi was not in shock for long. Hesitating a little, Musashi returned her step forward toward Mrs. Niwa and opened her mouth to say something to her, but before anything appropriate could be found, Mrs. Niwa's face blackened, and without a word, she slipped past Musashi as if nothing had taken place.

Then everything Musashi had just thought fell into doubt, and she felt angry all over again. This time however, it was a more hurt anger and a confusion that pained her more than the rage. Without knowing what else to do, she stomped away almost tripping over Nyaasu as she did.

"Wah!"

"Nyah!"

Steadying herself, she glared down at Nyaasu and crossed her arms. "What are you doing, Nyaasu?"

Nyaasu wasn't listening.

"Nya …" he said in awe instead as he peered off to where Mrs. Niwa had already vanished. "That was crazy, Musashi. What do you think's gun-nya happen ny-ow, nya?"

"I don't know, and I don't care!" snapped Musashi stomping off again.

"N-yes, you do, nya," said Nyaasu , bounding after her. "We both care what happens to Kojiro, or we wouldn't be here."

"It doesn't matter," said Musashi. "Nothing's going to change." With a heavy sigh, she stopped and leaned her back against the wall. Staring out and half looking at a painting of some relative hanging across from her, she shook her head. "You're right, Nyaasu. Maybe we should just tie him up and force him out of this for his own good. He'll get over it eventually, won't he? If we did that?"

Lowering his eyes to the ground was not the encouraging statement Musashi had hoped for.

This could not last forever! It just could not last forever! Something had to happen eventually. It was not as if they would be spending the rest of their lives in this estate! Maybe Team Rocket would contact them and then it would all be over. Out in the field again, Kojiro would be back to his usual goofy, awkward self and all this would be nothing but a nightmarish memory, in some ways even worse than the one that led to his coming here.

At Team Rocket things may not have been perfect, but at least they were simpler. At least they were not as emotionally draining. She would rather be electrocuted ever day for the rest of her life than have to endure any longer this internal anguish that Kojiro had and was spreading to her unwittingly. She had not even known she was capable of feeling for him in this way.

She longed for those simple days when they first became Team Rocket partners. Even before that pikachu stuff with the brat boy. She would give anything for those days when she and her partner were looked upon for their great potential and skill as field agent material. They even had agents in-training take tips from them. Giovanni spoke most favorably of them in those days. Even Yamato had to have been envious which was probably why she and her partner had mocked them when Musashi and Kojiro had lost themselves in that rut of failure with one single pikachu. She did not think any Rocketer could have caught that pikachu though.

If only they had just forgotten that stupid thing and gone back to just being agents.

Maybe that would make Kojiro happy too.

Deep down she knew that it wouldn't, but for now the thought was a small comfort that eventually Kojiro would see the hopelessness of what he was trying to do at his house and just come with her and be an agent again. A real field agent. No Pikachu. No brat boy. No more failure. They could come out on top again. She would be the one laughing, and Giovanni would be pleased with them once again.

When she found herself in her room again, her thoughts continued on in this way. Sitting upon her bed, she allowed herself the pleasure of a wonderful daydream in which she and Kojiro were being richly rewarded …

"_The Boss is coming himself to congratulate you," said a meaningless grunt._

"_Why can't you just suck again?" grumbled Yamato, turning away violently._

"_They still do," grumbled Kosaburo. "They just got lucky."_

_Musashi, Kojiro, and Nyaasu laughed as they stood atop a mountain of pokéballs filled with pokémon ready for the Boss' personal inspection._

"_You're the ones who got lucky, KoSAAANJIIII, nya!" Nyaasu said. "We have pure skill, nya."_

_And as usual Kosaburo flew into a big tantrum about how he was nothing like Kosanji and that everyone should shut up and call him correctly and all that jazz._

_Musashi paid little attention and smiled smugly at Kojiro before they both closed their eyes with pride as the Boss suddenly appeared._

_Everyone stood at attention, and the Boss ignored everyone but the important trio._

"_Musashi and Kojiro," said the Boss. "I will make you the highest agents in Team Rocket. You've finally proven you are your mother's daughter, Musashi, and Kojiro, you have proven that an agent is still more than capable without familial associations with the team. Even your nyaasu has proved himself very capable as more than a mere talking pokémon, but he's still annoying."_

"_Thank you, Boss," said Musashi and Kojiro as they bowed respectfully before their wise leader; though, inside they were tingling from head to foot with gleeful pride …_

"_Nyah?" asked Nyaasu._

Except that last bit was not part of her daydream.

When Musashi opened her eyes all she saw was Nyaasu cocking his head curiously, and grabbing a pillow, she threw it roughly into his face.

She was starting to have Nyaasu "imagine the Boss" fantasies.

#

Contrary to everyone's belief that Kojiro was all doom and gloom, Kojiro did not go out with his growlithe merely to mope. In fact, moping was not very high on his mind at all. He thought very deeply this is true, but his thoughts could hardly be called doomy or gloomy. It was just that he did not know how to start in with his parents to make things right, and he was beginning to lose patience with himself.

He wanted to be a normal family, and he believed without a shadow of a doubt that he could and would in time accomplish this. He thought of vacations he could take his parents on. Letters could be written to them, he supposed. Maybe he could convey his thoughts better on paper than in conversation, but he did not know how to begin that either. He asked Gar-Chan about the situation as they romped about on the grounds in between playing fetch or watching the birds and clouds go by.

Musashi also worried him, and Nyaasu did a little, which made him wish he could just hurry up and solve this. It was his friends that he began worrying about more than about his parents. He knew his friends must be frustrated with him and the whole confusing situation. Well, Nyaasu maybe not. He heard that he was becoming good friends with the cook and the only thing now to worry about was his weight really. Nyaasu had wanted to live a life of a cat and now he was getting it full blast. It was Musashi then. Musashi was whom Kojiro worried about more than about anyone else.

Gar-Chan listened to his worries and concerns with deep interest, but he really had no suggestion. Kojiro did not expect any of course, but his candid ear and optimism was all he needed from the old canine. But Kojiro had other activities out on the moor as well in mind …

It was a couple days before Musashi's run-in with Mrs. Niwa that Kojiro saw the fence.

On one far side of the Niwa Estate there stood an old, rotten fence that ended the property line. Kojiro recalled that when he was a child the fence had been a lot whiter and more solid. It seemed odd that the couple who owned the fence would have let it fall so into decay. He looked to Gar-Chan and then back at the fence, and a brilliant idea came to him.

Now brilliant ideas, Kojiro knew, seemed only brilliant to himself. Musashi and Nyaasu rarely if ever paid them the least bit of mind unless it was merely to scoff at them and in the recent past to knock him over the head or fling him across the room. Little daunted by this fact, however, Kojiro went resolutely home that day knowing exactly what he was going to do, and a couple days later here he was now returning to the old fence. After having stored some tools and new pieces of fence spokes in a shed, he made his way across the grounds and set to work where the fence needed most mending.

If he was going to be honest from now on, he supposed charity was included, so kneeling down he took his hammer and began to pry the half rotted boards away.

"Hey!" a voice shouted.

Kojiro had barely begun when he heard the growl, and in an instant he dropped the hammer onto the ground and nearly tripped backwards in his surprise.

Gar-Chan gave out a single bark to the newcomer who had at that moment flown from the house-step and landed squarely on his side of the fence. He pointed a knotted finger dangerously over the side and right into the direction of Kojiro.

"You!" he demanded. "What are you doing to this fence you vandal?"

Kojiro steadied himself, and quickly shook his head. "No, I — I was just—"

"Yeah, _iiwake nai_!" shouted the old man. "You breaking up property like that! I oughta report you to the police this minute!"

"No, I was trying to fix the fence!" cried Kojiro.

The old man paused. He shifted his weight a bit, and then stared at Kojiro suspiciously.

"Is that so?" repeated the old man. "Fixing the fence, eh?"

Kojiro thrust a finger to the box of nails and the new boards behind him, and Gar-Chan, for extra emphasis, sniffled beside them and looked up at the old man hopefully.

"Why would you want to do that?" required the old man. "Just out of the blue like that?"

"Because … it needed fixing?" offered Kojiro.

"So you're telling me you're an obsessive compulsive?"

"No," said Kojiro a little offended.

Again the man stared at Kojiro with grave suspicion, but after a moment shrugged and with a mutter that it should still be a fence later, he left Kojiro to his work.

Kojiro looked at Gar-Chan. Gar-Chan looked back. Then with a shrug, Kojiro set to work again.

What filled Kojiro with dread was the sight of his mother when he returned to the house. She was waiting at the door, watching his progress to the steps. His pace slowed a little at first, but sucking in as much courage as he could muster he reached the front door to say, "_Doushitano_?"

"May I speak with you," she said. "In private?"

Kojiro twiddled his fingers. "Uh … sure!" he squeaked and allowed his mother to lead him inside.

#

His mother led him to a study room. This study room was rarely used and there were many other study rooms in this house.

They sat down. Kojiro wondered anxiously what his mother wanted to speak with him about.

They were silent a moment until Kojiro dared to ask, "So, uh, what did you want to tell me?"

His mother looked almost sad a moment with a slight sigh escaping her. She looked up at him sternly but calmly.

"Why did you come back?" she asked.

Kojiro was caught by surprise. All previous thought left him as the question left her mouth. Could he tell her the reason why? All of it?

He collected himself and said quietly, "I… couldn't keep running away forever."

His mother stared at him, studying him but her expression did not change.

"Is that the only reason why? There must be another reason. You seemed very content with your life with Team Rocket. What drove you to come back?"

Kojiro's heart beat quickened as the horrible images of the tower returned to him. The horrors of another world drove him to come back. But he could not tell her this. No! He would be claimed insane with doctors hovering around him with medication and all hope of re-making his life would be ruined. All his work thus far, a total waste! For a few seconds he almost thought he was crazy!

_No, _He told himself, _It was real. Oh, so very real._

If he thought he was crazy then hope would really be lost.

It was rather hard to believe that his adventures in the Digital World were true with his mother sitting there strait and orderly like she always did. She would never believe it. But he couldn't lie.

"It's…" he started to say, "kinda a long story."

"I'm listening," she answered smoothly.

Kojiro again went blank. But quickly gained courage again.

No, he wouldn't lie. He could do this. Of course, it wasn't going to be easy. Courage wanted to slip away again, but he told himself he wouldn't lose it as he began, "My friends and I went to a… an unknown place. At least, unknown to us anyway," he quickly added.

His mother nodded but said nothing.

Kojiro continued, "Well, we were wandering around, and I got separated from the others."

Still she said nothing.

"I was by myself for a long time and…" he said a little shakily, for he knew what was going to come up next. He swallowed hard. "I was found… and he tricked me into coming with him to work for someone else."

He stopped a moment and looked at his mother. He was disappointed by the fact that he did not change her expression yet. Maybe it was a little selfish to think that he thought, but he could tell that something was stirring inside of her. Kojiro could not tell what, but he started to worry about her.

"It's alright, Kojiro," she said breaking the silence. "You may continue. I'm listening."

He swallowed again. "Uh, well, the reason why I went with him was because he told me Musashi and Nyaasu were dead. And I believed him." The fake photograph Limomon had given him came back visibly to his mind. They were on the floor dead with the blood and everything. It had seemed so real. He had to quickly brush it off, but he could feel himself trembling at the memories of that horrid creature. His heart beat went faster again.

"I was in despair… and I followed him to his master's base… a dark tower and …" he trailed off; then he took a deep breath before he forced himself to squeak out the final truth, the reason for everything thus far, the reason for quitting, the reason for coming back, the reason for everything!

But it came out as, "They tortured me!"

There was more to it than that. Far more to it than that, but Kojiro could think no longer. Even if he could, he doubted he would have been able to put it into words why he truly came back, but it was too late to take back his words.

He broke out into the most pitiably loud sob as his tears ran down his face and he quickly covered his face with his hands.

He did not see his mother at his words of being tortured. She was not strait anymore, her expression changed entirely, and she gasped as she soaked in what her son just told her.

In disbelief she could scarcely make the few words, "T-they _tortured _you?"

Kojiro did not answer, but continued to tremble from his crying.

She could not bear it, her son tortured! "Are you in pain? Are … "

"No," Kojiro said, starting to make himself calm down, "they didn't torture me _physically_." He sniffed. "They wanted me to be their slave…"

Mrs. Niwa almost thought she heard a slight sarcastic chuckle in that last sentence, but that thought was not dwelt on very long when her son started crying again.

His mother was almost on the verge of tears herself, but she would not let them fall. Mrs. Niwa knew it would not help her son feel better.

"I don't feel well…" Kojiro cracked from his throat to his mouth.

"No, no," his mothers said, as she came to embrace her son, her baby…

Kojiro let his mother take his head in her arms, and on her chest he cried. He cried his heart out. Every feeling since the day in the tower he poured out with each tear streaming down his face.

_Japanese__ Phrases:_

_iiwake nai: There is no excuse_

_Doushitano:__ What's wrong_

_NOTE: The last scene in this story with Kojiro and his mother was written by my sister; though I edited it some._


	9. Revival Herb

JMJ

CHAPTER NINE:

Revival Herb

Thump_, thump. _Thump_, thump. _Thump_, thump_.

The perpetual pump beat with its steady, mighty rhythm like a war drum or of the marching of feet of an army on the move. The heat of the volcano churned and bubbled below grinding, melding all to be one with the whole, but nothing seemed liable to erupt any time soon even if it was anything but dormant. Like everything else the volcano and the pump were wired with lines of blue and red and monitored from the top with strings of rooted webbing. All worked to the steady rhythm as the gasps and sighs of the great bellows sang to those drum beats of the beauty of life, and that song was slower and more pronounced than usual for the audience it now possessed. The pump in its owner's nervousness began to thump with just a tad more flight to it as well.

Removing the stethoscope from the bare back of the patient, the doctor leaned back in his chair, and Kojiro allowed his deep breathing which he had performed for the doctor to relax into a heavy sigh before his breathing returned to normal again even if his heart took a moment to catch on. The last time he had seen a doctor it was to steal from one even though he had ended up bedbound with his teammates in the hospital as a result of being gravely injured on the job.

Remaining straight and composed outwardly, Kojiro waited inwardly quite anxiously for the doctor who had already checked his blood pressure, his ears, his mouth, his eyes, and even a blood sample (this was because of the bite, for it was a very unusual one despite its being almost entirely healed by this point save the scar; it was by Mrs. Niwa's instance that everything ought to be examined). The checkup had to be almost done by now.

"Well," said the doctor, finally placing his equipment back into his leather bag, "you couldn't be healthier. A little underweight maybe, but otherwise in perfect condition as far as I can tell."

Kojiro glanced queerly at the doctor through his curtain of purple/blue hair before he proceeded to button up his shirt again.

"Any real damage, and there probably is a little, would be mental if what I understand is true," said the doctor.

They had not gone into great detail with the doctor. Well, Kojiro had not gone into that much detail even with his mother, who really was the one who related the incident to the physician. Kojiro had no time to speak with the doctor until she had let the doctor begin the check up.

This time Kojiro did not even glance through his hair but simply nodded promptly with his face to the floor.

Outside the bedroom door, little to the doctor's knowledge, though Kojiro did suspect it, Nyaasu and Musashi listened intently to all that transpired inside from where they squatted in the corridor. At the mention of "mental" Musashi stiffened and stretched her ears out more so as not to miss a single word.

"Have you thought about seeing a councilor at all?" asked the doctor.

"No," came the small reply.

It was amazing that Kojiro could at one moment be the meekest, mildest mouse in the world when Musashi knew full well that Kojiro could be the insane monkey that he now caged up and had not released in ages entirely.

"They think he's n-yuts, nya," whispered Nyaasu.

"I thought you did too," Musashi whispered back. "You're the one who keeps saying he's lost it."

"You say it too, nya," returned Nyaasu.

Musashi put a rough finger to her lip and glowered.

"Well, I would recommend it," said the doctor. "Even just being with you, it's obvious that you're under a lot of mental stress, and that fact that you're underweight in a home of all physical ease means you're not eating enough for other reasons."

"I just haven't been hungry lately," said Kojiro, and he added more brightly, "I'm not just saying it but I feel much better now."

Nyaasu slapped his forehead, and Musashi knocked him on the head.

"Here," the doctor said. "This is a good councilor. There's little else I'll be able to do in this situation. I'll have the blood tested, but I'm sure it will be fine. I'll give your parents the report before I leave, but I wish you'd take my advice and talk to someone."

"Yes, sir," said Kojiro gloomily.

Footsteps then sounded near the door.

In fright, the cat and woman instantly took flight, and by the time the doctor opened the door, the only thing that hinted of their exit was the slight bouncing of a vase, rolling back to a standstill on a table along the hallway. The doctor took no notice as he placed his hat onto his head and exited the room.

"And try to eat more too," said the doctor. "It will do you well. That's a doctor's order."

Kojiro nodded.

Then the doctor took leave for the main hall downstairs where Mr. and Mrs. Niwa were waiting for him.

A few moments later, Musashi and Nyaasu poked their heads round the open doorway curiously to see their friend still standing as one in a daze where he had seen the doctor off. At his side he held the card that the doctor had given him for the councilor.

"You're not really going to see a shrink, are you?" Musashi demanded as she straightened up from her squat and strutted into the room.

"N-yeah, I know we said we thought you were crazy but ny-ot like that, nya," said Nyaasu.

Kojiro shook his head as he held the card up for a better look.

"No, not unless my parents really want me to," he said quite absently, for he looked at neither of his companions as he glanced up from the card.

"A … are you okay, nya?" asked Nyaasu, raising a brow.

With a slow nod, Kojiro smiled at Nyaasu and then at Musashi.

"Yeah," he said, slowly brightening from his sobriety with which they had happened upon him. "I'm better than I've been in a long time. In fact, I think I've never been better." And he tossed the card carelessly over his head.

Only blank confusion riddled the faces of his companions, but Kojiro did not seem to see. They looked at each other with contorted expressions a moment and then looked at Kojiro again. Despite themselves, his peaceful aura seemed to effect them as well, and they smiled at him or for him anyway; though, their uncertainty as to what this all meant for the trio's future had not in the least bit dissipated as of yet.

#

Dinner that evening proved silent as usual, but Musashi sensed instantly the lighter atmosphere. It could definitely not be the appearance of Mr. and Mrs. Niwa who sat as proudly and straight as ever, but she knew there was something about them that felt a little different. The main new attraction of the meal, however good the turkey happened to be that night, was the bright, goofy smile spread out from ear to ear across Kojiro's face held confidently above his straight shoulders. He must have sensed something stronger than either she or Nyaasu, but whatever conversation had transpired between himself and his mother must have been the cause of this change.

Even a psychiatrist ready to test Kojiro's mental status within the next couple days did not seem to daunt him now. This in itself caused Musashi to wonder about his mental status, but at least his was happy …

The turkey somehow did not taste so nice anymore, and Musashi set the fork on her plate miserably.

If Kojiro was so happy, and everything was finally working out the way Kojiro wanted it to, why did her heart suddenly feel so heavy?

#

"Milk," said the Cook.

"Milk," said Nyaasu.

"Sugar," said the Cook.

"Sugar, nya!"

SLAP!

"Nyah!" Nyaasu cried, recoiling his paw.

"No stealing," said the Cook.

"No stealing," Nyaasu repeated and cleared his throat as he passed the lovely sugar over.

"Flour," said the Cook.

"Flour," said Nyaasu.

"Eggs," said the Cook.

"Eggs," said Nyaasu and almost managed in swiping one of these, but the Cook was far too clever for any of that. Nyaasu had to place the egg back into it proper spot or receive another slap on his paw from a wooden spoon.

Now don't get me wrong, the relationship between the Cook and Nyaasu was a thing that each surprisingly appreciated. After having tried to steal from the kitchen a couple times, the Cook and the cat got into an argument which ended in Nyaasu proving to the Cook that besides being a loud, talking pokémon, Nyaasu possessed a few fine culinary skills. The Cook took a liking to Nyaasu soon afterwards, and now whenever Nyaasu ever found the company of either Musashi or Kojiro to be cumbersome, he would slip off to enjoy gastronomic activities with the Cook.

With Kojiro hanging out with his parents and Musashi sulking somewhere, Nyaasu found himself deeply engrossed in the baking of a cake after helping out with a more traditional Eastern meal, rare for the Niwa household who preferred Western fare.

Licking his lips with the smell of cheesecake rising from the oven, Nyaasu glanced smilingly up at the Cook. For as a reward for his good service, the Cook often let him share some tasty treats that would otherwise only be given him from a hand under the table. This was beginning to be embarrassing (not that Kojiro and Musashi did not often let him in their rooms with all proper utensils and a chair to eat), but he liked sitting at the side counter on a high stool with a glass of milk and a bowl of hot rice and fish. He dug in with a pair of expensive chopsticks and closed his eyes to savor the taste.

The Cook sat across from him with a lunch of his own, and he smiled as he held out his sake before taking a sip.

"We did good this morning," said the Cook.

"Why, thank you very much, ny-es, I did, nya!" Nyaasu purred.

The Cook laughed in good humor, and Nyaasu winked.

"Say, I been wanting to ask, nya," said Nyaasu casually. "Whatever happened to that loud, deaf guy?"

"The butler?" asked the Cook.

"N-yeah, I guess, nya," said Nyaasu.

"Oh, he was forced to retire. Family, you know, and age was catching up too," said the Cook. "The master insisted that he go home to be with his family."

"It wasn't just to have some peace and quiet, nya?"

"Now, Nyaasu, that's not entirely fair," said the Cook, but even as he spoke, the twinkle of humor in his eye could not be hidden. "But I must say it's almost like not having a butler since Shino took over. He's the complete opposite as far as volume goes." Here he chuckled in spite of himself.

A knowing feline grin returned.

"But you're not especially quiet all the time either," the Cook pointed out.

Nyaasu's knowing smile turned playfully dangerous. "Nya …" Nyaasu meowed, and he chuckled near sinisterly. "Oh, but when I'm quiet, ny-o one kny-ows where I am, nya."

After his meal, Nyaasu wished the Cook luck with the rest of his day, and meandered up a back staircase to the next storey. He had grown quite accustomed to his new way of life. Eating when he pleased, sleeping where he pleased, and going anywhere and doing anything he wanted as long as no one was there to pester him. With the manor as massive as it was and with servants usually too busy to notice him, Nyaasu could live very well as if he owned the Niwa Estate, and as a cat, it's likely that he very nearly did.

There were a few back rooms he had claimed as his own. One room, he deemed the study. This was where he wrote down his thoughts and often song lyrics he had been working on lately. Another room he deemed the extra bedroom, which was in fact a guest room that no one bothered with but the servants still occasionally cleared free from dust. Nyaasu used this bedroom on nights when he wanted to be alone. He visited a place named the music room, though the only instruments were a guitar and a violin. The real music room was behind a small home stage. This had a piano, an organ, and a few wind instruments and two more violins, but that place was not nearly as cozy as this one .The guitar, his preferred instrument, was a little too large for him to play for it was full size and decorated for a colorful fiesta, but he would attempt to play anyway even though his arm barely reached over the side to play. He would also play the violin with fiddle music until servants came to see what was haunting the usually unused room only to find the cat and the fiddle in the absence of the cow jumping over the moon.

Today as Nyaasu made his rounds however, instead of going up to the roof where he would often survey the landscape with a pair of old, field binoculars, he chanced to see Musashi outside a window in a garden out back. On a stone parapet, she was sitting, looking more bored than anything, but Nyaasu knew better. He had a mind to just ignore her, but something inside him told him that whether she would admit it or not, she probably could use some company.

"Nya …" sighed Nyaasu.

And with Kojiro busy making up for lost time with his parents, he supposed that company ought to be him.

#

"You didn't really think that Kojiro would ever go back to the way he was before, did you, nya?"

Musashi stiffened, but chose not to look at the cat as he approached her side. That was all right with Nyaasu. At least she wasn't bopping him over the head. So encouraged, he continued, "He's serious, Musashi. Whatever happened to him, it happened good, and he'll ny-ever go back to Team Rocket again, nya, and maybe he's the right one. What's the point of going back to Team Rocket ny-ow, nya."

"Nyaasu …" said Musashi biting her lip.

A suspicious eye turned up to her.

"Nya?" Nyaasu asked.

"I've been thinking about looking for you," she went on as she scooted off the small wall and faced the cat. "Since we're obviously going to have a lot more time on our hands than I figured, I was thinking of taking up some other interests that were neglected even when we were doing real agenting."

"Like what?" Nyaasu demanded.

"Training my pokémon," retorted Musashi as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Oh, really, nya?" Nyaasu returned with a spice of sarcasm.

With hands thrown onto her hips, Musashi nodded. "Yes. I was watching television."

"Nyah, really, television," muttered Nyaasu, rolling his eyes. "Uh … Musashi …" He was about to tell her how she was avoiding the issue, but he figured he had already pressed his luck far enough as it was.

"And they were showing ads for this new place called Mount Battle Kanto," said Musashi. "I guess it's based off the place in Ore Region, but they wanted to bring something like it here for Kanto so people didn't have to go way out in the boonies to enjoy it. It's this center that's basically just meant to help trainers get experience and things like that."

"N-yeah …" said Nyaasu patiently, though he was beginning to slowly see what this had to do with him, and it was making him feel uncomfortable.

"It's not a competition or a league or anything like that. It does have all kinds of connections with the Indigo League, though. But I was thinking …" and here she placed a thoughtful finger to her lip as if the idea of her pondering needed visual aid in order for the less than interested cat to understand.

"That you'd have a look and drag me over there with you, nyah," groaned Nyaasu, and then waved a careless paw aside. "Sorry, sister, I don't do battles. You kny-ow that, nya!"

"What about when you fought for that togepi?"

"That was a personal matter, nya," Nyaasu said; he closed his eyes haughtily. "It's ny-ot the ny-orm, nya. Doesn't anyone ever let me forget that, nya! It's ny-ot bad enough that I had to see Togepi every day afterward but then _some_ people, nya—! Sorry, can't help you. Maybe you should just catch yourself some ny-ew pokémon, nya."

Musashi snorted. "You _are_ a pokémon, remember?"

"N-yeah, so?" Nyaasu said. "Even with me there, you won't have a full party."

"That means I can order you to go if I want to, though," Musashi pointed out.

"Nyah!" Nyaasu cried. "I don't belong to you, nya."

"Yes, you do," said Musashi. "When they gave you to us, I was the one who got your pokéball."

"I don't have a pokéball," Nyaasu grumbled.

"Yes, you do," said Musashi. "It's right here."

With a throw of her long, red hair, she held up a pokéball for Nyaasu to see, and she smiled triumphantly.

"That could be _any_ pokéball," Nyaasu protested.

"Nope, it's yours," said Musashi. "I don't care if you believe it. Just ask Kojiro, and he'll tell you. He tried to take it first, but I already had it in my hand before he knew what happened."

"Where was I, nya?"

"Pfft! Playing with yarn, how should I know?" said Musashi. "But since you're technically _my_ pokémon, I think you should start acting like one."

Nyaasu growled something rather rude under his breath.

"Have you looked at yourself, lately?" Musashi asked, and she thrust a finger toward his stomach. "You're getting _way_ to comfortably here. You need exercise before you start really going downhill. There's a few extra pounds that could stand to be lost in that little, round body."

"Yeah, well, you've gained a couple pounds too, I ny-oticed," Nyaasu muttered.

Musashi's eye twitched. "What?!"

"Nyah! Nyah! Nyah!" cried Nyaasu throwing his paws up in his defense, but Musashi let her fist fall hard over the poor cat's head.

"_Baka_," Musashi sniffed, and after a moment or two she recovered from her temper and became quite intent on her designs for Mount Battle Kanto. "Just think, Nyaasu. We could train up, and actually be good enough to enter contests and win! Arbok, Lickitongue, and even you with a few new attacks!"

"Nya … you still would ny-eed a full party."

"Well, maybe I could borrow Kojiro's," said Musashi with a shrug as she returned from her day dreams. "Or maybe I _will_ catch some more of my own. Hey, you know, I could probably _buy _some of my own now!" And she laughed.

"With Kojiro's money."

"Yeah, with Kojiro's money, buying something like a rapidash or a delicatty would be like buying a stick of gum," Musashi grumbled.

"N-yeah, just think if we had his money when we were chasing the brat boy and them, nya," said Nyaasu with a sly grin.

With a roll of her eyes, Musashi let out a loud groan.

"Nyaasu," she said after a pause. "Why can't you just come with me?"

"I will if I don't have to battle, nya," Nyaasu promised.

"But don't you want to learn some new moves? Talking can't seriously take up three move slots, can it?" Musashi demanded.

"One," said Nyaasu.

"Then why can't you learn more than fury swipes?" Musashi grumbled.

"I have," Nyaasu argued. "Slash, and scratch."

Musashi glared. "What?"

Nyaasu shrugged and looked away with a haughty sniff.

"You mean to tell me," said Musashi slapping her forehead. "That you have fury swipes, scratch, and slash, and all this time you could have learned payday?"

"Ny-o," said Nyaasu. "I can't learn payday, nya."

"And why not, exactly?" Musashi demanded.

"Well, we don't ny-eed payday ny-ow!" Nyaasu pointed out.

"Well, how 'bout something else, like iron tail or something, seriously Nyaasu!" Musashi snapped.

"Meh, nya," Nyaasu grumbled.

"I'll kick you," said Musashi.

Again Nyaasu shrugged.

"Nyaasu, either you come with me or I'll …" Her rage was building. Red color rose up over her face, and her eyes were already clouded over.

"Fine, go ahead, throw a tantrum," Nyaasu said, with a wave of his paw before crossing his arms. "See if I care, nya."

Nyaasu!" snapped Musashi, stomping her foot on the ground.

Nyaasu sighed. "Fine, fine, tell you what," said Nyaasu, spinning around and facing Musashi with a knowing grin. "I'll go with you."

Instantly, the boiling pot left the burner as Musashi stepped back and eyed the cat with suspicion.

"You will?" said Musashi.

Nyaasu nodded. "Sure, on two conditions, nya."

"What?" asked Musashi, not sure she wanted to know.

That happened to be exactly the type of response, Nyaasu wanted too. A broad Cheshire Cat grin emerged on his face, and clearing his throat, he leaned idly against the side of the wall with confidence that he had finally taken charge of the situation.

"That you ny-ever smack me again, nya," said Nyaasu.

"Sure, fine," said Musashi carelessly.

"Ny-o, I mean it," said Nyaasu. "We'll have to sign and everything, and there's one other condition, nya."

"Yes?" Musashi demanded.

"That as my trainer you treat me well," said Nyaasu. "I'm your cat, not your slave, and you gotta pet me, nya."

"_Pet_ you?!" snapped Musashi.

"N-yeah, pet me, nya!" Nyaasu returned. "And ny-icely too. At least once a day, nya."

"Why can't Kojiro pet you?" Musashi demanded.

"Well," said Nyaasu, still smiling, "if you don't want me to be your pokémon …"

"Fine!"

Nyaasu's face sagged with disappointment.

"It's a deal," said Musashi.

"Then you want me to draw up the papers?" Nyaasu wanted to know. He decided that he would make the best of his agreement even if he had not expected her to agree with it. _She must be pretty bored_, he told himself.

"I don't care!" Musashi growled. "But you have to train with me!"

"When are you going, nya?" Nyaasu wanted to know, just before he sped off to make an official document in the study.

"Tomorrow," said Musashi and paused. "Well, maybe I'll have a couple practice battles with Kojiro first. Then we'll go. I haven't battled since we got here."

Nyaasu shrugged and lifted a paw. "It's not like you'd forget, nya."

"Just shut up, and get the document, Nyaasu," Musashi grumbled.

_Japanese Phrases_

_Baka: stupid_


	10. Hypothetically

JMJ

CHAPTER TEN:

Hypothetically

With a cock of her head toward Kojiro's face, Musashi smiled encouragingly.

"You could come too," she sang.

Kojiro smiled back. "Next time," he promised.

"But don't you want to train up your pokémon too?" asked Musashi.

It was not exactly that, and everyone knew it. It was just …

"I've already made plans," said Kojiro and his smile turned a tad sheepish as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Plans were made to be broken, nya," offered Nyaasu. "Just look at us! Our plans never worked, nya!"

Neither Kojiro nor Musashi paid the remark the least bit of attention.

"Next time then," Musashi made Kojiro promise.

"Next time," said Kojiro with a fervent nod, much more earnest than the situation called for.

"Alright, then, let's go, nya! Or we'll be standing here, all day! The bus is gun-nya leave without us, nya!" As Nyaasu exclaimed this, he tugged at Musashi's long but still trainer-functional skirt. "C'mon, Musashi."

Turning her body, her head still lingered on Kojiro's face a moment longer, she started to follow after Nyaasu like a parent following an overly eager child to see the performing pokémon at the circus, but still adult thoughts on her mind. She thought for a moment that she had something more to say to Kojiro, but her mind had suddenly become blank. His goofy, cheerful wave goodbye did not help remind her either. Oh, well, if she remembered later she could call him on the cell phone he let them take.

She had a strange feeling that she could not explain about leaving Kojiro behind. It felt as if she was leaving behind a twin, not that she knew what having a twin was like, but it left her with stupid but troublesome thoughts about some young woman's family changing their minds about Kojiro. That dreadful decision would then leave one to speculate that by the time Musashi and Nyaasu returned they would find a new Mrs. Niwa and a very miserable Mr. Niwa tagging sluggishly from behind her on a leash.

"Tell me all about it when you get back!" Kojiro called with the cliché of parting that reminded her of a black and white movie.

Musashi shook her head as she pushed open the window to call back.

"I will!" she said with equal cliché, and she grinned brightly for him, and even ignored Nyaasu's blowing kissing out the window beneath her chin.

_There's nothing to worry about_, she scolded herself. _Stop being an idiot._

The worries about Rumika's return eventually subsided but the feeling of not liking the thought of leaving Kojiro behind still haunted the back of her mind as the bus started off down the road. The sight of Kojiro still watching the bus from the curb made her feel like she was leaving a helpless puppy behind.

_He's a big boy, he can take care of himself for two day,_ she then growled to herself. _Besides, he has a whole house full of servants to take care of him, and his parents are acting like real parents finally! They'll just sit at home, drink tea, play croquette, and maybe Kojiro will succeed in bringing them into town like he'd been trying to do._

She had other things to think about now. She had battles and training and the excitement of travel that she had missed so very much. One could not believe how restless she had grown sitting around on the estate.

That beaming Nyaasu face with his head nudging her arm like the cat he technically happened to be, finally broke the ill ease, but only because she suddenly remembered, much to her annoyance, her promise.

"Nya …" meowed Nyaasu.

With a roll of her eyes and a low growl, Musashi lifted her hand and lightly patted Nyaasu's head.

"Oh, c'mon, nya! That's n-yot a pet, nya!" Nyaasu complained.

"What do you want?" Musashi snapped.

"To be petted! Like the agreement, nya," Nyaasu said, suddenly holding up the document which Musashi had signed.

She sighed, not even bothering to look as she turned to look out the window. Her chin, she cupped in her free hand as she began stroking Nyaasu behind the ears half-absently. If she had been in any worse mood, she would have shoved him across the aisle, but she found that recently her violent tendencies had lessened somewhat. Maybe hunger had made her grumpier than she would have been normally when they were rocketing …

As she watched the passing trees and little villages, she found herself wondering idly if they would ever be rocketing again. Never had she said that she officially quit, and come to think of it, neither had Nyaasu. Even Kojiro had not made his resignation official even if he had seemed fairly serious about it at one time.

She could not help but miss those days of rocketing, and she felt it inside that they had not seen the last of their field agent days. Kojiro may seem like he would never touch an ill-gotten pokéball again, but Musashi reminded herself of Nyaasu's many claims at reforming, and she herself could not claim to have not had thoughts about quitting every now and then. Team Rocket always called them back again, though. Like the haunting call to patriotism a person might have for their homeland, all agents of Team Rocket who strayed from their rocketing ways heard the call to return one way or another, and Musashi was positive their situation right now was no exception.

#

Mount Battle Kanto, situated at the foot of the mountain of northern Kanto, was a glorious sight. With tall pillars in front and high elevator shafts behind, one could see it even before the bus rounded the last bend. Once that past them by, the trees parted and gave way to the massive front doors gleaming with the fresh vigor of a new, optimistic landmark which all were sure it would become.

Nyaasu tingled despite himself. After all, he had only come to battle, and he happened not to be a big fan of battling whether he battled or he watched others battle. He could not help it. It had been so long since he had been anywhere of even half the action and youthful life as this place. Trainers dotted even the outside of the building like insects. What pleased him also was the idea that the brat boy was not likely to be numbered among the hundred and possibly thousands of trainers who had showed up for this grand opening. Trainers upon trainers and not a brat boy or 100+ level pikachu in sight. Oh, it was marvelous!

The scent of frying food also helped to perk Nyaasu's interest and before Musashi could do anything to stop him, he flew to the first stand he could to get himself tempura.

"Nya, nya," he said licking his lips, and he took a great bite, closing his eyes to savor the taste.

"We didn't come all the way here to eat fried food," Musashi grumbled.

"Ah, lighten up Musashi, this is vacation, nya!"

"No," said Musashi, throwing a hand on her hip. "This is hard work!"

"You mean because even Kojiro whooped your butt, nya?" asked Nyaasu innocently.

Luckily, Nyaasu stood too far away to be kicked.

"Only because he had his growlithe help him," sniffed Musashi. "Arbok could beat Weezing any day, and Lickitongue versus Victreebell isn't even worth it."

"You mean, after Kojiro actually pries her off his head, nya?" Nyaasu giggled.

"Yeah," Musashi muttered.

There was a short pause as Nyaasu took another bite of his tempura.

"Come on!" Musashi snapped.

Snatching him by the tail she made for the doors.

"Nya!" Nyaasu cried, but he was mostly upset because he dropped his tempura.

Not long afterwards, Nyaasu found himself standing beside Musashi in a small arena. They had been matched quite quickly by level and the number of pokémon with another trainer. The boy across from them looked hardly older than ten, a rookie in all appearance from his naively intense face to his bright, primary-hued outfit. That showed just how skilled Musashi was by level, but Musashi may have an advantage, for even though her pokémon were not on an especially high level, she was more experienced in some ways than this green thing.

Hey, what was he thinking, he had to help in this battle too! Nyaasu had almost forgotten. Slapping his forehead, he let out an audible moan.

"Stop that," Musashi ordered. "And take this match seriously."

Nyaasu only moaned louder, and for that, he would have received a light kick in the side, but luckily Nyaasu had his document up before she finished lifted her leg.

Relenting, Musashi growled.

Then the bell rang, and the battle began.

The boy released a charmander. Already, Musashi was at a disadvantage, especially since without thinking over her options carefully, she sent out Arbok.

"Nya," said Nyaasu. At least she did not send him out, but Lickitongue probably would have been better.

"Arbok, poison sting!" Musashi shouted.

Maybe she hoped that Charmander would not get a chance to use his advantage as a fire over a poison.

Charmander was struck, but he was not down for long. Before Arbok got another chance, the trainer called for flame thrower.

No more Arbok. He had lasted in battle perhaps little over a minute.

"Well, he's done worse, nya," Nyaasu muttered.

"Just for that," Musashi grumbled back, and she raised her voice as she threw Nyaasu out into the arena. "You're going next!"

"NYAH!" Nyaasu cried, and he landed strangely right on Charmander's head.

"Char!" exclaimed the little, reptilian creature in surprise.

Musashi laughed. "Alright, Nyaasu! You have him right where we want him."

Nyaasu gulped. "I do!"

"Sure! He can't burn you up there!" Musashi shouted.

The boy frowned. "Oh, yeah!" he said. "C'mon Charmander, throw him off you with a scratch attack!"

But though Nyaasu screeched in fear, he managed to escape the scratches of those tiny T-rex arms.

"Nyaasu! Fury swipes back!" Musashi ordered.

Somehow, Nyaasu did as commanded, but as soon as he began, Charmander bashed Nyaasu on the ground.

"Nyah!"

"Flame thrower!" the boy called again.

"N-yo!" wailed Nyaasu, and it was all over for him too.

Now only Lickitongue remained, but Nyaasu did not pay much attention as he tended his wounds sat on small chair off to the side of the arena. All he knew was that though this last bit may have been the most intense, he only had to hear Musashi's moan to know how it ended.

Nyaasu shook his head.

#

After a day of several battles and only winning two and a third because the opponent made a huge mistake, Musashi could only hope that the next day would be better. As she made her way to breakfast on their second day, she kept telling Nyaasu that their luck would change.

"Nya, face, it Musashi, one day of battling isn't going to make much of a difference, nya," said Nyaasu.

"Oh, shut up! And be more positive," Musashi retorted, and she plopped down in a chair after making their order at the counter.

She dipped her spoon into her hot miso soup and stared down at the swirling steam, trying to keep her mind focused on thinking clearly. When in battle, don't be too impulsive. Think about the options first. Then battle, or she'll end up losing to a rookie again. If a fire pokémon appears, don't use Arbok. And Nyaasu, who was a waste of a pokémon, really had to be taught more moves if he was to be any help except with pokémon like rattata, and using him against a skitty was a complete waste of time even if he reached level ninety. But today would be better; she would make sure today would be better. Pounding her fist on the table, she determined with physical force that today would be better.

"Nya …" Nyaasu meow interrupted her thoughts.

"What?" Musashi growled.

"Did you see that, nya!" Nyaasu said.

"What?" Musashi said again.

Nyaasu pointed a paw behind her, and as Musashi looked, she saw the end of transaction of a trainer giving her pokéballs to a man in a valet-type uniform. With a tip of his hat, the valet or whoever he was, took the pokéballs away.

"What's with that?" Musashi asked, raising a brow and throwing a dark leer to Nyaasu.

"She's giving that guy her pokéballs to take into the Pokémon Center in town," said Nyaasu.

"So?" Musashi demanded.

"I saw someone do that yesterday too, nya," said Nyaasu spooning himself some soup. After swallowing with a satisfied sigh, he went on. "They give these guys their pokémon to take to the Pokémon Center, and then they'll bring them back to the trainers with these number cards they exchange, and it looks like it's not a free service, nya. And my guess is that this whole thing is cuz they haven't quite finished the Pokémon Center here, yet, nya."

Musashi closed her eyes as irritation began building to a noticeable degree. "And the point of this is …? I can take my pokémon to the Pokémon Center myself. I ran down there several times yesterday."

"N-yeah, I kny-ow. Only either wealthy trainers or high level trainers who earn enough winnings could afford it, so those guys are carrying some pretty hefty prizes all the way into town, nya," Nyaasu said. "And hypothetically speaking, if say, a thief were to disguise himself as one of those guys then n-yo one would kny-ow that the pokémon were gone before it was too late, nya."

Complete realization struck Musashi like Pikachu's thunder bolt attack from behind, and it sailed down her spine causing more than a small shiver through her body. All thought of battles, and breakfast, and even holding her jaw in place vanished as she stared at Nyaasu and gaped at him with a blank fish expression. A familiar sleazy, sinister, sneaky ambiance suddenly fell upon her so that she could almost hear the old, pleasantly unsavory saxophone.

"Hypothetically speaking, of course," Nyaasu reiterated. "We're ny-ot on duty right ny-ow, nya." Sitting straight with a proud closing of his eyes, he took another sip of soup, and swallowed with dignity. He then lifted a napkin to his lips and patted them lightly as if he was a guest at a dinner with the Niwa family.

Musashi laughed in spite of herself. "Yeah, right. Hypothetically, of course."

"Nya! It would be super easy," said Nyaasu.

"Like taking candy from a baby," agreed Musashi.

"We'd already be standing in front of the Boss's desk before anyone even kny-ew the pokémon were missing, nya."

"The Boss's desk!" sighed Musashi in ecstasy as she folded her hands together and pictured herself in front of a quite pleased Giovanni.

She did not even remember the last time she had seen the Boss pleased outside of fantasy, but there would be nothing fanciful about a sack of pokéballs piled onto his desk and the trio standing before him in the darkened office as they waited for the look of distrustful surprise to leave the Boss' face while eager grins plastered on their own.

"Even Kojiro couldn't say 'n-yo' to a plan like that, nya!" Nyaasu said.

At this thought, Musashi's pleasure vanished.

Yes, Kojiro probably could say "no" to plan like that, and he probably would too, Musashi had no doubt about it. But maybe if they already had the pokémon in their possession …

"We wouldn't have to tell him until we got them," said Musashi.

"Hypothetically speaking, nya," said Nyaasu.

Musashi waved a hand aside and nodded. "Right, right, hypothetically here."

"The sight of all that easy gain could stir in his heart the true Team Rocket spirit, nya," said Nyaasu brightly; he looked just like old times, the conniving feline. "Just like he used to, nya!"

He had taken the words right out of her head!

"Yeah," said Musashi. "He used to be so proud of our villainous ways. 'Lovely and charming villains …'" She sighed in reverie at the thrill and pride of reciting their motto before unsuspecting victims. "He made that part up, you know."

Nyaasu nodded. "And we'd have 'till the end of the month before the ny-ew Pokémon Center opens to plan this all out to perfection, nya. And we could use a map of the place to plan everything out to a 'T', nya! I could hypothetically get that map right ny-ow even."

"Actually," Musashi said quietly as she reached into a pocket. "I already have one."

"_Hontou_, nya?" said Nyaasu, slamming his paws over the table in his excitement.

The map was thus placed upon the table.

"We could plan it all out right now," said Musashi, "or even bring it back to the Niwa place and plot it all out just like you said and be back in a week to put it all into action."

"If we were being Team Rocket ny-ow."

"If everything was normal."

"The way it was before, nya."

"Before Kojiro went weird."

"Stupid reality, nya."

"What's reality?"

"A ny-ightmare, nya."

"But only for our enemies."

"Enemies of Team Rocket, nya!"

"Enemies of us!"

"There's ny-o brat boy, nya."

"No _yana kanji_."

"That ny-ever stopped us."

"Ever dauntless."

"Hypothetically, nya!"

Musashi nodded as she took a bite of soup. Their speaking had almost become a chant or a rap. All they needed was to start rhyming.

"Hypothetically," she said.

"Ny-ot _yan-ya kanji_, nyah," said Nyaasu.

"But _ii kanji_."

"N-yeah, _ii kanji_."

"Hypothetically."

"Ny-aturally, nya."

"Almost a shame," Musashi said.

"Almost, nya," Nyaasu agreed.

"Hypothetically, it's our duty," said Musashi.

"For world conquest, nya!"

"For the glory!"

"For the honor, nya!"

"For Team Rocket!"

"Any star in the galaxy, nya," said Nyaasu.

"Sky's the limit."

"Society's sympathy."

"Love and truth."

"_Ny-ante, _nya!"

Musashi paused thoughtfully for a moment. "I think I need another bowl of soup."

Nyaasu shrugged.

"Then get one, nya," he sniffed without looking at her.

The rap thus ended.

_**Japanese Phrases**_

_Hontou: Really ?_

_Yana kanji : bad feeling_

_Ii kanji : good feeling_


	11. Extra Nasty

JMJ

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

Extra Nasty

"Nya!" announced Nyaasu as he threw open the door to Musashi's bedroom.

With annoyance, Musashi glanced up from where she knelt before a low, round table off to the side of her bed. Her pink nightdress and light robe proved deceiving at first glance, for quickly after Nyaasu had entered, the cat spied with his excellent feline observation skills, the open map on the table. He squinted knowingly and smiled wryly as he closed the door behind him.

"What are doing in here?" Musashi demanded.

"You told me to come, nya," said Nyaasu with a haughty throw of his paw.

Musashi tossed a careless hand upon her hip. "I did not," she protested.

"Last nya-ight when we came home, nya," Nyaasu insisted as he continued on inside without invitation. "You said," and here he made his voice a little higher and girly as he tried to mimic the exact sound and tone of the young woman, though he failed miserably in his squeaky feline voice: "'We could even bring hypotheticness further upstairs and really plan it out hypothetically.' It's what you said, nya."

"Exactly," snapped Musashi. "Hypothetically, meaning, I only invited you hypothetically."

"Well, then hypothetically I'll leave, nya."

Musashi groaned. "What do you want?"

"The same thing as you, nya," said Nyaasu, daring to make himself comfortable across from her even as Musashi's fingers flexing towards the shape of fists over the tabletop.

"Oh, c'mon, nya. Lemme see the map. It's in good fun, nya," said Nyaasu.

A thoughtful eye cast upward to the ceiling a moment, and after consideration, Musashi digressed and allowed Nyaasu the pleasure of resituating himself so that he could more easily see the map with her.

"So hypothetically," Nyaasu said clearing his throat as he examined the map. "We could make our way through the lobby and the dining areas and then end off at this little café area near the back of the place."

"Oh, yeah, I see," said Musashi, suddenly quite more chipper, "and make a quick getaway out that back door there."

"Hypothetically, nya."

"Of course," laughed Musashi, then she paused. "Maybe we could stop by around the locker rooms upstairs though, too."

"Oh, n-yeah!" Nyaasu cried; and he grabbed a pen to mark up the routes for the secret strategy. "Good thinking. In fact we could start the whole exercise out in the front of the grounds with all those stands and everything, but we also need a backup plan. If we can't use the café for whatever reason, we can use the fire escape here, nya. Oh, and we can also make a small stop by some of the high level arenas near the top of Mount Battle."

"Won't that be pressing our luck a little?"

"Nyaw! We'll make it quick, nya, and we'll just see how it goes."

"Hypothetically."

"Hypothetically, nya!" Nyaasu quickly agreed.

Meanwhile, out in the corridor, Kojiro made his way toward Musashi's room in a very good mood himself. It was all he could do to keep from skipping he felt so light. The only thing that had him still firmly on the ground and kept him from flying off the face of the earth was the situation with Musashi and Nyaasu.

He had not been quite fair to them, he thought. With the past week or so having had spent almost solely with his parents, Kojiro felt it high time he really checked up on his friends. Maybe they could even leave for a while. Their support and patience had been worth more than they could possibly know, and he wanted to make it up to them. They could go on the cruise in the Orange Islands, have a real, relaxing time with sunbathing on the deck, scuba diving for pleasure rather than work, speed boating, swimming, oh, anything, really! He would simply see what they wanted to do, he did not care. See if they had made anymore plans with Mount Battle Kanto. He would be happy to come too. They all needed something to occupy their time. Maybe he and his friends could now become good trainers. Masters even! Who could argue with a life like that? They could hang out here a little longer and then maybe start out a new life as pokémon trainers; that way they could still have exciting lives but not have to be crooks to do it.

He had considered being a professional philanthropist, but he had decided that he should just be something normal and be good in the more natural way.

_And what better way_? He asked himself. _Than being a pokémon trainer?_

On the other side Musashi's closed bedroom door, he could hear them busily talking excitedly about something. He thought something about Mount Battle too.

_So they _are_ planning to go back_! he thought quite pleased.

Grinning, he held out his hand to knock, but just before his hand made impact with the door he stopped. It occurred to him that it would be much more fun to surprise them. So with his grin turning rather mischievous, he carefully took hold of the knob, and as quick as he could he threw open the door.

Needless to say, the surprise with which the pair expressed upon the intrusion proved far more intense than Kojiro had anticipated, even though it took a few moments to properly take it in as he tripped forward onto the floor in front of him from a lump in the rug that led into Musashi's room. He had thrown the door a tad too violently too, it must be confessed. However, he was in far too good of a mood to have this setback spoil anything, and leaping back to his feet in a flash of blue/purple and the brown and green of his clothes, he grinned sheepishly with a few sweat drops dotted about his head (though not nearly as many as could be seen on the horror stricken faces of his friends) and then moved on.

"Hi!" he exclaimed, closing the door behind him and making his way into the room. He also pushed the lump in the rug down with his foot.

Musashi and Nyaasu looked at each other as if silently asking how much their simple, happy companion had overheard.

Kojiro took no notice, but he did notice the map being swept off the table as he neared.

"What's that?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing!" exclaimed Musashi.

"Just planning, uh, strategies for, nya, our next trip to Mount Battle Kanto, nya," corrected Nyaasu quickly.

Musashi nodded quickly and let out a strange titter. "Yeah, nothing that special."

"Ny-othing at all, nya!" Nyaasu agreed.

Kojiro studied the pair with scrutiny for a moment, a scrutiny that made him look quite childlike and silly, but his partners feared that Kojiro, who knew them quite well, would see through their façade all too soon.

"Oh," was all Kojiro finally answered. "Well," he then said, turning cheerful again, though not quite so chipper as when he had first entered in upon the scene. "I'm joining you next time."

"You are?" Musashi gulped.

"Sure!" Kojiro exclaimed, holding up a finger and granting her a clever wink. "I promised, remember? Oh, yeah! And you promised you'd tell me all about last time too remember?"

"Oh, yeah," Musashi said, avoiding eye contact.

Squatted down between the pair, Kojiro glanced at Nyaasu fidgeting slightly, but he did not know that the cat shoved the map further out of sight in his odd movements.

"There isn't much to say," Musashi told him.

"She was horrible, nya," said Nyaasu closing his eyes.

"Oh, shut up!" Musashi snapped.

"Hey, hey, guys!" laughed Kojiro, holding his hands up in an attempt to hopefully stop a fight before it started. "It's okay! I probably won't do so great either. It's just for fun!"

"N-yeah, fun, nya," said Nyaasu, though he did not sound too excited.

Strangely enough, Kojiro observed, neither did Musashi.

Kojiro smiled cheerily, but the smile was not entirely sincere however much he wished it to be. He knew his friends saw through it too. Every emotion and thought he wore on sleeve, after all. They proved not much better though, for their goofy smiles could not hide their uneasiness. He did not know what they were up to, and he hated to think the worst, but he had a mind suddenly to bring Gar-Chan with him.

#

"Why'd you have to let him come, nya," Nyaasu hissed.

The only chance they had been able to have alone so far was when Kojiro had to go to the restroom. He had been constantly by their side since they arrived at Mount Battle. They still had been unable to escape the eyes of Gar-Chan, but luckily for them, Gar-Chan could not warn his master. Even luckier was the fact that Gar-Chan, suspicious as his master though he was, could not fully understand what Musashi and Nyaasu talked about. His life at the estate was too simple for him to know the extent of the plot, not that Nyaasu knew this for certain as the canine had not muttered a word to Nyaasu since they left the bus.

"Well, I couldn't have just told him he couldn't come," Musashi returned as she banged her back against the wall of the hall outside the men's room.

"Sure you could've, nya," said Nyaasu. "It would have been easy! You used to tell him what to do all the time, nya."

"It's doesn't matter anyway," Musashi said with a sniff; somehow her words seemed more for herself than for Nyaasu. "It just saves us the trouble of going back for Kojiro. He was going to find out sooner or later. That was part of the plan, remember?"

Nyaasu meowed with annoyance.

Both failed to remember to add that the plan had been hypothetical to begin with.

"We'll just sneak off when it's his turn to battle somebody," said Musashi, and the intensity with which she crossed her arms made it look as if she may be afraid to lose herself. "We're signed up so that we'll have to battle at the same times in some places, and he won't know what we're doing. We just won't show up for one. We have all afternoon still."

"Kinda suspicious, nya," said Nyaasu with a pinch of sarcasm, and he eyed Gar-Chan standing motionless but staring right at him next to the restroom door.

"Pfft," Musashi said. "Everything else is set up. We can't back down now."

"I wasn't, nya."

"You're not chickening out, are you?"

Ears twitched above Nyaasu's head, and he turned to Musashi roughly at the sound of a flush inside the men's room. "Shut up, _baka_, nya. He's coming."

Musashi steamed. "Don't call me stupid, _you_ …"

"So, you kny-ow that using Arbok against a fire type is a waste of time, nya," said Nyaasu casually.

Musashi frowned, but as Kojiro soon appeared in the doorway, all she did was turn away sulkily with arms crossed tighter than before if that was possible.

"You okay?" Kojiro asked.

"I'm fine!" snapped Musashi in return. "Let's just get going. I got a battle to do."

"You didn't have to wait for me," said Kojiro.

Gar-Chan barked, and only Nyaasu knew that he said that Musashi and Nyaasu were up to something. Kojiro could not understand his concern, but even if he had, he did not need the dog to tell him that.

Nyaasu could not help but gulp. A small pang grew in the pit of his stomach, and it took a few moments of making their way to their down the corridor to place the feeling as guilt. Nevertheless, neither Nyaasu nor Musashi could back down now. They had already gone too far mentally to stop the motions of their plan. Thus, the moment Kojiro parted from his companions for his battle, the cat and the woman dashed off down a completely different corridor than the one that would have led them to their assigned arena.

Instantly, all guilt he forgot as they gleefully went about their nasty business. They stole some uniforms for the valet disguise. They went around the structure, not necessarily as they had planned, but they did offer half the price that the other valet's offered, for it certainly was not the money the pair was after, at least not in this manner.

The Boss would certainly grant them a vast reward for their hard work! He paid field agents handsomely for work like this. Successful agents could live like royalty with how the Boss paid them. Nyaasu remembered his few successes with Musashi and Kojiro before the days of Pikachu. They spent their days in only the richest, five-star hotels (in disguise of course, they were wanted criminals of the top degree in those days), ate at the finest restaurants and bought all the supplies, gadgets, and clothes they could possibly need. It had been fabulous. Not that Nyaasu thought they really needed money now that they had gazillionaire Kojiro, but still, to be in the Boss's good graces and to not have to ask Kojiro's permission to use money would more than worth their effort now, and Kojiro, he told himself would agree once he and Musashi succeeded here.

And succeed they did. Maybe it was the freshness with which they worked, or maybe they had just grown stale as agents before. Maybe it was just that the brat boy was not around; though Nyaasu recalled that plenty of other people had beat them up pretty handily with or without the help of that stupid kid and Pikachu once the trio got stuck in their rut.

_But we haven't won yet_, Nyaasu kept reminding himself. _We haven't won yet. Keep it together until we're at least out the doors, nya!_

Nyaasu almost did not believe that they made it out the doors (not of the café as planned but a different pair of doors since their cart had been so full and suspicious) when they finally did. Thoughts of waking up at the Niwa place and this all having been dream raced like dancing fireflies through his head even as he laughed dizzily with Musashi running at his side.

With their hamper-like cart filled to the brim with pokéballs and Musashi tossing the owner tags out into the nearby dumpster, they raced over the side of a ditch and rounded the rocky slopes of the mountain toward the open field. The cart bounced merrily with them as they practically danced with delight with their prize.

"I can't believe we actually got away!" exclaimed Musashi.

Nyaasu had almost forgotten his disbelief by now.

"All we gotta do it hide it somewhere and get Kojiro, nya," said Nyaasu.

Musashi looked around.

There were many caves and nooks and holes everywhere for good hiding, but Musashi noticed none of these. Her eyes instantly focused onto the figure not but five yards or so away. If it had been the brat boy she would have broke down and cried right then and there, but as Nyaasu lifted his head to see what had turned Musashi's face so moon-washed, what he saw almost made him wish the brat boy stood there instead.

Kojiro.

Neither of them had to speak his name as they came to an abrupt stop that almost caused their prize to spill over. A couple balls fell out, but Nyaasu quickly came to their rescue and piled them back into the hamper. Their companion stood, head bowed, but his face clouded with all hurt and rage. He did not look up as they made their nervous greetings and awkward laughs. All he did was close his eyes as Gar-Chan growled at his side. Then after a moment, he lifted his head with a face so sore Nyaasu felt a wave of remorse crash over him even as his own scowl formed.

"I knew it," was all Kojiro had to say at first, but it was a blood chilling, hallow phrase.

Dead silence …

"We …" Musashi began. Her voice sounded strange, and she cleared her throat as if in an attempt to fix it. "We were going to tell you!"

"N-yeah!" cried Nyaasu. "We were going to let you in on it, nya!"

"Sure! We just had to hide the pokémon first!" agreed Musashi.

Both Nyaasu and Musashi knew full well that their including him meant nothing to Kojiro, so they should not have been surprised at his decline, but they were perhaps a little taken aback by the savagery of his decline.

"_IYA_!" he nearly screamed trembling from head to foot as he pounded the air with his fists. "I don't want any part in this!"

"Alright then, nya," said Nyaasu talking far more confident than he felt, "we can go without you, nya."

"No!" snapped Kojiro, but his rage soon turned to panic and dismay as he turned beseechingly to Musashi with hands pressed together to beg. "_Doushite_, Musashi?!"

"Why?!" Musashi repeated. "WHY?!" She literally did scream her word and she threw her fist over Kojiro's head in reflex.

"Ouch!" Kojiro wined, and rubbing his head with more sulk than usual having not been used to her punch for some time.

"I'll tell you why!" Musashi snapped. "I never said I quit Team Rocket! We're still agents! All three of us! And a chance presented itself that could not be ignored! Not even by _you_! You never said you quit either, so you had every intention of coming back eventually just as much as I did!"

"I did _so_ say that I quit!" Kojiro yelled in his defense. "You were there!"

He did? This was news to Nyaasu.

Musashi crossed her arms in defiance. "That didn't count," she sniffed. "Nyaasu says he quits all the time under strenuous circumstances but, he always comes round!"

"Nya …" Nyaasu meowed not wanting to be brought into this situation which got worse by the second.

"You know you want to come back eventually!" Musashi announced as if for the whole world to hear. "_Ginga o kakeru Roketto Dan no futari ni wa_! _Roketto Dan yo eien ni_!"

Finally, Kojiro appeared stumped. His eyes stared blankly just as they had a hundred times before. He looked as glazed over as a donut, and he stood frozen in this stupefied state awkwardly and ridiculously. As his eyebrows arched slowly over his eyes, however, Nyaasu knew more than ever that the Kojiro they knew as Team Rocket agents would never come back again.

Nyaasu threw a look to Musashi who in her stubbornness did not seem to see what he saw, but he had always been more observant than she — even Kojiro had always been more observant. By what she said next, she obviously did not see what Nyaasu saw unless she was in complete denial.

_Highly possibly, _Nyaasu thought.

Musashi tossed her head contemptuously. "You'll come around just like Nyaasu does all the time."

Nyaasu slapped his forehead, and Gar-Chan who somehow ended up beside him whined with worry.

"You said it, Gar-Chan, nya," Nyaasu whispered in return.

"I would rather spend the rest of my life in prison and even die than be part of Team Rocket _ever_ again," said Kojiro very darkly.

"You don't mean that," hissed Musashi through clenched teeth.

"I _HATE_ TEAM ROCKET!" Kojiro shrieked.

Musashi nearly stumbled backwards in shock.

"Put those pokémon back where you got them!" Kojiro growled.

"No," said Musashi. Musashi was strangely not as infuriated as Nyaasu thought she would be. "Come on, Nyaasu, were leaving."

Kojiro growled in frustration. "I—I'll stop, you, Musashi. Don't think I won't."

Suddenly, those pokéballs did not look all too enticing even as round, shiny objects. In fact, some eerie whirl between the incident at Grammy and Grampy's when Nyaasu and Musashi had tried to run off with the old couples' pokémon (and brat boy's and company's) and the fight which had ended in Nyaasu's being tortured fell upon Nyaasu, and he wished to be anywhere but here as Musashi attempted to push the hamper cart past Kojiro.

Kojiro was already trying to push the hamper the other way. Nyaasu had seen it coming, and with something between disgust and sympathetic worry, he knew what was going to happen next, and Gar-Chan's barking told that he knew it too.

"Extra nya-sty, nya," Nyaasu moaned as he saw his human companions grab pokéballs from their belts almost simultaneously.

The fight began.

"Go Arbok!"

"Weezing!"

In flashes of light the pokémon emerged for battle.

_And what a battle_, Nyaasu thought gloomily as he ducked behind the cart to protect himself from any oncoming attack that may come his way.

"Smog attack!" Kojiro cried.

"Oh, no you don't!" snapped Musashi. "Arbok, dig!"

The smog did little but choke the people and Nyaasu and Gar-Chan. Arbok, under the ground, used sound and smell to locate his opponent, which strangely enough was usually his ally, but pokémon did not question. Arbok and Weezing would be obedient to the point of death, and this battle, though intense, would not come close to that, though, their masters' relationship was certainly at risk here.

As quick as lightning, Arbok emerged from beneath the ground and threw himself with all his might against Weezing. Weezing had poor defense and was almost down by this single blow.

_Why didn't Musashi fight like this at Mount Battle, nya_? Nyaasu found himself wondering.

Kojiro did not wait for Weezing to be entire knocked out. Even in his wild state, he returned him, but Nyaasu saw he had a different plan, as stupid as it was. In a blind leap, Kojiro slammed against the cart and pushed with all his might back towards Mount Battle Kanto.

"No!" Musashi growled. "Arbok!"

Arbok blocked Kojiro's way.

"Don't make me use him against you, Kojiro!" Musashi snapped.

But Kojiro attempted to plow right past Arbok, and Gar-Chan growling at his master's side would fight dearly to help him get through even if he did not understand why the humans were so upset about a pile of pokéballs. The inevitable only happened. With Kojiro pushing too hard, the cart, made for smooth halls and paved roads, turned over on its side, spilling out all its contents over the ground in every direction.

"Arbok, wrap Kojiro!" screamed Musashi.

"Musashi, nya!" Nyaasu protested. "This isn't going to … nyah …"

Arbok obeyed the command.

However, Gar-Chan did not need a command to free his master from the tight coils of the snake around his body. As Musashi made a dive for the cart the canine bit Arbok near the tail, and Arbok let out a severed cry and dropped Kojiro instantly to the ground. Then Gar-Chan released a burst of flame, scorching Arbok KOed black and X—eyed.

"Arbok return!" Musashi snapped as Kojiro began shoving the pokéballs back into the hamper in attempt to return them to their trainers.

Eyes narrowed on him a moment, but instead of stopping him herself, she snatched Nyaasu by the tail.

"NYAH!" Nyaasu cried.

"Go out there and fight like a pokémon, you worthless thing!" she snarled as she threw him out onto the scene.

"Ny-o! Ny-o! Nya!" Nyaasu wailed as he found himself in front of the angry growlithe.

Gar-Chan growled dangerously, telling him that he would protect his master no matter what.

In a scream, Nyaasu only sped away. He had no desire to have the same fate of Arbok. Flying up into a tree at light speed, he clung to the branches for dear life and refused to come down.

"Fight, you coward!" Musashi bellowed running to the foot of the tree.

"Ny-o! You're crazy, nya!"

"Stupid thing," she sniffed, and threw out Lickitongue instead.

"Take the cart!" Musashi demanded.

Lickitongue attempted to do this, but Gar-Chan quickly blocked the way. He had no real resolve to guard the cart, but his master was still tossing pokéballs inside. Nothing would get past the dog, and he threw another flame Lickitongue's way.

"_Liiii_!" the pink pokémon screamed, just barely managing to escape the full blast of the attack. Although singed he still snatched the cart with his long tongue, for he more than felt the intensity of his master, and was almost as determined as Gar-Chan to serve his master now.

"Hey!" cried Kojiro as the cart sailed above his head.

Landing with a crash on the other side of Musashi, at least two wheels smashed as it collided with the rocky ground. Most of the pokéballs inside bounced out again. Musashi, now with the cart on her side did not care the state in which it was in. Quite pleased with her victory, on the contrary, she laughed in insane triumph.

"MUSHASHI!" screamed Kojiro.

Oh, it did not matter, they were both insane by now! Nyaasu could only watch helplessly from his perch in the tree as Kojiro threw out Victreebell. With a heavy sigh, Nyaasu rolled his eyes as the instant the insane creature emerged with her piercing shriek to add more insanity to the hopeless scene all intensity paused a moment for Victreebell to leap excitedly onto Kojiro's head.

"_Victreebell_!" shrieked Kojiro. "No! Stop! Stop! Stop!"

But no wave of his hand or command could stop her as she covered her plant mouth over Kojiro's body so that only his knees downward showed. For a brief moment all that could be heard on this near mountain pass was the muffled screams and wails of Kojiro from inside the creature.

With Gar-Chan at his side what in the world had possessed him to let out Victreebell? It probably went to show that honest and courageous or not Kojiro was still Kojiro. Even Musashi seemed to realize this a moment as she stared with a huge wide-eyed stare that to Nyaasu looked somewhat remorseful.

Then Gar-Chan after whining frantically, took charge of the situation. No doubt he saw this much more seriously than anyone else did, but in a lunge he bit Victreebell and burned her. As a grass type, she was even weaker against fire than poison, and with a spine tingling wail she released her hold on Kojiro and was out like a light. Unfortunately, her scream was also mingled with that of Kojiro's. Inside the creature, he felt the burn as well.

Barking wildly, Gar-Chan frantically ran to Kojiro's side.

Blackened and dazed from shock and pain, Kojiro fell onto his dog's back for a moment, and then reaching for Victreebell's ball, he returned her.

"Do you give up, Kojiro?" Musashi asked.

Singed as he was, at being reminded of the situation, Kojiro's eyes narrowed in upon her through the long fur of Gar-Chan with just as much firm purpose, if not more so, than before, and it sent more shivers down Nyaasu's spine than any shriek of Victreebell's could. With hands gripping tightly onto the main of his canine, Kojiro closed his eyes tightly a moment and then slowly and unsteadily, he brought himself to his feet and faced who had been his teammate in those three or more years in the service of Team Rocket.

Gar-Chan licked his hands, but Kojiro no longer seemed to notice him.

"I'll give you a fight, Musashi."

"Never give up," growled Musashi.

Nyaasu could not tell if her words were in approval or disappointment or whether they were originally meant for herself or Kojiro, but nevertheless, Musashi took advice from her own words. Lickitongue against Gar-Chan it would not be. There may be a chance of Musashi winning this round, but Nyaasu doubted it. Gar-Chan looked as if he had merely been warmed up and no pun intended.

Maybe Nyaasu could just take the pokéballs somewhere and they could forget the whole thing or possibly talk this whole thing over a nice hot meal. They all liked food! Maybe he could take those pokémon to the Boss himself and forget these maniacs, but for the mean time, Nyaasu remained in the tree and watched as the battle continued, or rather as the battle began. Kojiro had not really been battling up to this point but merely had been on defense mode. Only now was the battle full and outright.

The last real battle, Nyaasu thought, since they fought the brat boy and his pals last, but this one left them all behind. It could only be compared with a couple battles against other Team Rocket rivals in the fact that it was only out of rage, but even that could not describe this battle.

"Nya …"

They fought, they dodged, they were wise to each others' attempts at tricks. Lickitongue managed to stun Gar-Chan for a bit, but not enough to keep him down long enough to finish him off, for as Lickitongue made for a body slam, Gar-Chan scrambled to his feet and blew a flame thrower that had Lickitongue sent back almost straight into Musashi. It was the ferocity of the manner in which the masters gave out their commands that really made it scary though. The pokémon felt the intensity, yes, but they fought only a little harder than they normally did: Gar-Chan in typical canine loyalty and bravery for his human friend in trouble, and Lickitongue for the one who fed him. But Musashi and Kojiro practically spat out their commands, literally, and hardly bothered to wipe their mouths as they screamed not only commands but horrid insults, especially on Musashi's part, and their eyes were on each other rather than their pokémon. Flames blazed in those eyes in sapphire and jade coals.

Maybe he should do something, Nyaasu finally decided. This was just getting way too out of hand. Careful not to be noticed (though there would be no need to fear that; if the brat boy showed up himself, Musashi and Kojiro would not have noticed), Nyaasu climbed carefully down from the tree. He scurried across the stony ground to where the broken cart still lay abandoned on its side with pokéballs scattered not only around it but all over the ground as well.

However, Nyaasu did not happen to be the only one taking action while the pair fought like mad. Just outside the doors that Nyaasu and Musashi had used in their escape, a janitor just happened to step outside with a rolling trash can to dump into the nearby dumpster. He heard the screams and saw the wild battle not far off, and he knew immediately that someone should investigate the situation just to make certain something was not seriously happening out there. The broken cart, he also noticed, and although his first guess was not that it was being used to steal pokémon, for it was still too far away to see the balls, something was not right, he knew. Returning inside, the janitor immediately told someone about it. Not long afterwards, a referee of sorts and a security officer went to investigate. A couple of curious trainers who had happened to be with the referee at the time followed along as well.

Meanwhile, the battle drew to a close. Nyaasu had stopped to watch while holding a pair of pokéballs before deciding what exactly to do with them.

"Gar-Chan, flame thrower!" Kojiro cried again.

Musashi knew this was the last one. Lickitongue was done for, but she still commanded one last lick attack. Just as Lickitongue opened his mouth however, Gar-Chan brought down his opponent blackened and X-eyed in defeat. Musashi had no choice but to return her last pokémon. She thought briefly of sending Nyaasu out again. At least, Nyaasu assumed she did for she threw a dark leer in his direction, but perhaps everyone had finally been sobered, for Musashi and Kojiro, breathing very heavily, were silent now and both looked sore and miserable.

"What are you doing with all those pokéballs!?" demanded a deep voice from behind.

Stiffened with fear and spinning around, the trio turned to the officer, the referee, and the two trainers standing now just behind them. All four were angry and all taking in the scene of the crime easily enough. A young woman dressed as a pokémon valet, a broken cart that had been headed in the complete opposite direction as the Pokémon Center or indeed the town at all, a cat similarly dressed as the woman holding two pokéballs in his paws. Only the young man and his growlithe proved the mystery at first. Whether he was with the phony valets or had been fighting against them proved difficult to say, but all knew for certain that the crooks had to be stopped.

"Leave us alone!" Musashi shrieked.

"Ny-o, wait!" cried Nyaasu desperately. "It's ny-ot what it looks like, nya! Kojiro, tell them, nya!"

They knew the other's name. It was highly plausible he was in on it too, especially with how guilty he suddenly looked. His guilt ridden body looked about to melt right into the ground. The officer, who noticed this directly, took it that Kojiro would be the most truthful in the matter as he would no doubt crack the moment he directed his attention to him.

"What's happening here?" the officer demanded.

Gar-Chan growled. Though, plenty hurt by now, he was on a roll, and would not stop until everyone left Kojiro alone; thus, readied himself for any sudden movements.

"Uh …" Kojiro began. "It's—"

"A Team Rocket heist!" Musashi cried.

The trainers gasped and leapt backward.

"Team Rocket!" gasped one trainer, a girl.

"Nyaasu!" Musashi growled, turning ragingly to the pokémon so-named.

"Nya!" Nyaasu cried as Musashi once more lifted him by the tail and threw him to her enemies.

"Fury swipes, now!"

"Nyah!" Nyaasu cried as he flung through the air towards the humans.

Of, course, instead of dodging out of the way, both trainers simultaneously released pokémon, the boy a furret and the girl an electrike, and both as if by pure reflex called out their attacks. Hyperbeam and thunder.

The trio barely had a chance to gasp before, in their usual explosive nature, they were all flung upward: Nyaasu, Musashi Kojiro, and Gar-Chan too (even though he was not as explosive, but perhaps as Kojiro suddenly grabbed his dog in his terror that might explain why he came too). Up, up, up they flung, air rushing all around them in a sensation backwards to the feeling of parachuters before letting out their parachutes. Soon they would fall down with the sensation of falling without a parachute. All this together only caused one awful and all too familiar feeling.

"_YANA KANJI!_"

But only Nyaasu and Musashi chorused this phrase as Kojiro could only wail in misery with tears streaming from his eyes before they all disappeared from view in a twinkle in the sky …

_**Japanese Phrases:**_

_Ginga o kakeru Roketto Dan no futari ni wa: (roughly) Team Rocket travel to any star in the galaxy_

_Roketto Dan yo eien ni: Team Rocket forever_


	12. The Final Launch

JMJ

CHAPTER TWELVE:

The Final Launch

The trio and Gar-Chan fell down.

Down.

Down.

Until—

_CRASH_!

Face-first into the ground several miles away.

Kojiro was first to pick himself up in a flash of motion and emotion. Immediately as he sat up he began to cry all over again, tears falling down his cheeks as he sobbed quietly and woefully and rather pitifully too it might be added. Sore and miserable, Gar-Chan soon crawled to his side to comfort him as the faithful canine he was, but Kojiro did not seem to notice him at first.

Nyaasu, although awake next, only moaned bitterly, and did not rise. Even if he had wanted to, he would not have gotten the chance, for seconds later, Musashi awoke and slammed Nyaasu's head into the ground in fury.

"What's the matter with you, Kojiro!?" Musashi snapped. "We could have gotten away if it wasn't for you!" Her voice choked into a sob.

Kojiro did not answer at first. Falling into Gar-Chan again, only this time like a little boy on his puppy, he let out a moan that finally ended in the delayed croak of, "_Yana kanji_ …"

"Kojiro!" cried Musashi, leaping to her feet. "I'm talking to you!"

Nyaasu lifted his eyes and growled to himself, but thankfully no one noticed him. He could tend to his wounds in peace including the one just induced on his already pained face.

"You didn't miss that," Kojiro squeaked. "How could possibly have missed _yana_ _kanji_!"

"There would have been no _yana kanji_ if it had not been for you!" Musashi snarled back.

Gar-Chan growled.

"Oh, buzz off, you mutt!" Musashi snapped. "It's your fault I lost!" But the instant she said this, her eyes faltered and her rage followed their example as she closed her eyes and squeezed her tears back. "Why, Kojiro? Why? Why can't you just be like you were before? Things were so simple then. Just you, me, and Nyaasu." She sniffled a little and looked to the now unresponsive mop of bluish hair, and she sighed. "Don't you remember? Team Rocket forever. We were a team. We were proud! We never gave up. We were … everything." Then after a pause she added very small and a little out of character for Musashi, "You were my partner, Kojiro."

Nyaasu turned from Musashi to Kojiro and back again.

"Kojiro!" sobbed Musashi. "_Please_! Say something! Stop ignoring me!"

"I don't miss it," said Kojiro quickly and quietly, so quietly that Musashi did not hear him at first.

"_Nani_?" asked Musashi.

"I don't miss Team Rocket," said Kojiro a little louder this time. "Anything about it. We were failures, and even if we weren't, Team Rocket is … is …"

"An evil, disgusting, cruel, heartless, organization, nya?" Nyaasu offered.

Kojiro choked down another sob.

"But we always knew that!" Musashi protested.

"Team Rocket is—!" Kojiro started. "It's — I … _gomenasai_, Musashi, but if you go back, I … I can't come with you." And he turned away.

The tears swelled in Musashi's eyes and steam soon followed them. Musashi was hurt, very hurt. The only way Musashi would know how to respond was the way she always had. Maybe it was some defense mechanism she had developed in foster care, Nyaasu could not say, but a moment after the tears formed, Musashi too turned away and quite sharply. Brushing the tears off with sleeve of her damaged valet costume, she stiffened and clenched her fists down like weights at her sides.

"Fine!" she snapped. "If that's the way you want it!" She threw a dark leer to Nyaasu. "Come on, Nyaasu, we're going!"

Nyaasu did not move. He just looked up at her pitifully.

"Come _ON_!" Musashi snarled, and grabbing the unwilling cat by the arm, she began marching away into the direction of the mountains.

Nyaasu did not fight her, but tucked under Musashi's arm, he looked back at the dejected, wide-eyed misery that was Kojiro as he watched his friends leave him behind. Gar-Chan wined at his side, but Kojiro did not look down. He stood up rather, and watched in stunned silence until Musashi and Nyaasu disappeared over a hill.

"If that's the way he wants it! Fine!" snapped Musashi. "Serves him right! Stupid, Kojiro. If he wants to be goody two shoes, he can do it ALONE!"

"You don't really mean that, Musashi," Nyaasu said.

At this Musashi dropped him roughly to the ground.

"Yes, I do!" Musashi returned.

"You'll regret it, nya," Nyaasu warned.

"It's what _I_ mean more than anything I've meant in a long time!" And she continued marching northward.

"Nya …" Nyaasu sighed, and without too much thought, he followed after her in silence for a time.

Suddenly, however, Musashi muttered just loud enough for kitty ears to pick up, "We don't need Kojiro. We'll make our way back to base and get new orders. Start over. Do things right this time and make ourselves profitable agents. It'll be just you and me."

Biting his lip, Nyaasu stopped suddenly, and at first Musashi did not notice, still too caught in her own inner raging.

Besides the fact that the main Team Rocket base was south of here rather than up north, Nyaasu was quite struck with a different thought.

A flash of an image of the future came to his mind — a future without Kojiro, and not a future where Kojiro never existed. Musashi would never forget him. She would never be the same, and even if she stayed the same without Kojiro there who would stop the two butting heads from going at it. Nyaasu and Musashi would forever be at each others' throats. Even if they became the best agents in the world, all Nyaasu could see was pain. A punch, a slash, a swack, a scratch, a kick, a severe fury swipes. It would never end. Back and forth forever! No Kojiro meant constant battle between the two who remained. He had known it sort of before, but Kojiro was the mediator more than he was. Even in his stupid, awkward, bumbling days as their partner with Team Rocket, Kojiro's very presence and odd comments stopped many a brutal conflict. Now both bitter as they were, Musashi and Nyaasu would be even worse than if he had never been. And besides that there was another disturbing thought more along the lines of what Kojiro talked about …

Since kittenhood all Nyaasu had ever wanted was a home and loving humans to care for him. He had given it all up for naught when he slowly became a member of Team Rocket. Cats live in the present. He forgot his true dreams. No, that was a lie. He had never forgotten entirely. Musashi said so herself. He had tried to quit many times before for love, for attention, even for different work, but he had always given it up for the glory, the flare, the might of Team Rocket. Even now a large part of him was tingling to return to that life of prospective gain and crazed spying and attacking. It would be better than this soup opera he found himself in between Musashi and Kojiro, but he had had everything he had originally wanted with Kojiro and his house. Sure it was not the way he had originally pictured it, but he had comfort, food, and even love in a strange sort of way. He supposed with what he had become, he could never now be thought of entirely as a cute, little pet, but how could he ask for more in what he was now leaving behind for Team Rocket. If Nyaasu left with Musashi now, he would regret it for the rest of his life …

Nyaasu awoke from his thoughts as Musashi spun around and glared down at him.

"What?" she demanded.

"Uh, Musashi, nya," said Nyaasu, raising a brow and an open paw. "Are you sure you don't want to think this over first, nya?"

"No!" Musashi snapped, and she paused followed by a growl. "I mean yes, yes, I'm sure!" She threw a fanatical fist into the air.

"Well," said Nyaasu, stepped back carefully a pace or two. "I was thinking—"

"That you wanted to go back with Kojiro?" Musashi demanded, teeth set like a junk yard dog's.

Nyaasu gulped.

Shaking for a moment, Musashi stomped her foot onto the ground so hard she hurt her ankle. Pain washed over her face a moment as she squeezed her eyes shut to let the strain on her bones pass.

"Fine! Fine! Go! I don't need you either!" Musashi snarled.

Nyaasu rolled his eyes. "Musashi, I didn't mean—"

"Just _go_!" screamed Musashi, kicking at him but blindly.

Nyaasu easily leaped out of the way, though he did let out a cry as a leg swung around in a near round house kick as wild and uncontrolled as its precision was.

"Musashi, wait, nya!"

"No! If you wanna go!" cried Musashi, tears streamed down her face. "Get out of here! Leave me alone! I'll get a new partner and say you two DIED! Cuz that's what you did! You let the easy life get to you! You can't _HANDLE_ Team Rocket!"

"Fine!" Nyaasu shouted back, fur bristling. "I will, nya!"

And without a single second more wasted he raced back the way he had come and not once did he look back.

"Kojiro!" he cried. "Kojiro!"

He could see Kojiro with Gar-Chan in the distance making his way back for the nearest town so he could get a bus ride home. His pace looked slow, and even far away, Nyaasu could tell his head was to the ground.

Gar-Chan looked up first, and Kojiro, coming to a slow halt turned to see the cat racing towards him. At first, he looked surprised, but his face soon contorted into an angry scowl. By the time Nyaasu stopped a few feet away, Kojiro had straightened and turned roughly away with arms crossed tightly over his chest, but the infantile pout kept him from looking too unapproachable.

"What do you want?" Kojiro wanted to know.

Gar-Chan growled in agreement.

"Oh, come on, Kojiro, nya!" Nyaasu cried. "I already had an argument with Musashi. I don't wan-nya go through an-yother one, nya! I wan-nya go back with you! You were right about Team Rocket. I don't wan-nya go back! Honest, I don't, nya."

"What if you change your mind again?" Kojiro wanted to know. "How can I trust you? You're a cat."

"Nyah!" Nyaasu cried. "Kojiro!" he begged falling at his feet. "Please! Let me come back! If I go with Musashi, it'll be horrible, awful! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please Kojiro! I learned my lesson! I'll ny-ever work for Team Rocket again! Promise, nya! A big black hole just set itself in front of me! I can't go back, especially ny-ot if we don't go back altogether, nya."

Kojiro's eyes softened, and his arms slowly fell away as he looked down with pity on the cat. In spite of this, he said, "You just want to come back, because I have food and shelter. You love Team Rocket."

"N-yo!" Nyaasu insisted, and he paused thoughtfully, and with a sheepish grin he shrugged, "Okay, nya, the food and shelter's part of it, I'll be honest with you, but please, Kojiro, nya! Let me come with you! I … I'll be your pokémon! I'll do whatever you say, just let me come back with you. I don't want to go back to Team Rocket, nyah! Don't make me go, nya!"

With a heavy sigh, Kojiro closed his eyes. He looked altogether exhausted. Obviously, he did not want to deal with any of this any longer. When he opened his eyes again, he stooped down into a squat, and Nyaasu and Kojiro looked at each other a moment. With one last sigh, Kojiro grabbed Nyaasu, and to Nyaasu's surprise, he hugged him. He hugged him very tightly, and even though Nyaasu had a feeling he would rather be hugging Musashi, Nyaasu with tears he could no longer hold in, hugged the already loudly sobbing Kojiro back.

After all they had been through together, Nyaasu knew he could not leave Kojiro behind. Kojiro had always been on his side more than Musashi had been. He supposed now Kojiro deserved Nyaasu to be on his side for a change.

Quite suddenly did Kojiro part from Nyaasu. At first Nyaasu thought, Kojiro had changed his mind and was still angry with him, but as Kojiro motioned for Nyaasu to follow, Nyaasu could not help but smile, even though one could not help but feel the vacancy of the missing Musashi. Kojiro smiled back, goofily even, in his bittersweet emotion.

Seeing that his master was happy, Gar-Chan smiled and wagging his tail he stepped up to Nyaasu and without warning began licking him with gratitude.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Nyaasu cried, pushing Gar-Chan away. "N-yone of that, nya!"

"Come on, Gar-Chan," laughed Kojiro, and together the cat, the dog and the human slowly made for town.

#

No one at the estate asked what had happened to Musashi. One could only speculate that although it was obvious that Kojiro missed her, everyone of the estate did not, although Mrs. Niwa did express sympathy when Kojiro first returned home.

The first night, Kojiro was too restless to sleep in his bed. It felt hot, uncomfortable, and extremely stifling. He eventually found himself outside in the grass, and he found himself imagining that he was out in the woods somewhere. Musashi lay curled up not far away sound asleep. Her soft snores almost caught up in his ears. The sound of music played soon after from somewhere on top of the estate …

Nyaasu had been restless too, Kojiro realized as the strums of a guitar began. Before Nyaasu began to sing, Kojiro knew the music to be the first chords of "Nyaasu no Uta". The song, Nyaasu now played for its intended purpose, and for the first time Kojiro felt its meaning, and he wanted to go up onto the roof and sing it with him. He didn't. He was too worn out, and he eventually fell asleep at the foot of a tree.

Sometime later, Gar-Chan found him and curled up next to him to keep him warm, and next thing he knew, Kojiro awoke in the yellow glow of morning to the sound of footsteps through the crisp, lawn near him.

"Kojiro-san!"

Pidgy sang in the distance of the final days before winter.

Groggily, Kojiro lifted his head and turned to face who he knew to be the groundskeeper.

"Hnugh …" Kojiro murmured.

"What in the world are you doing out here, young master?" the groundskeeper asked stooping down to help Kojiro to his feet.

Kojiro was in a robe and warm pajamas, but as he stood up dripping with brightly painted leaves away from Gar-Chan's warm side, he suddenly felt very cold and he clutched his arms. Teeth chattered loudly and uncontrollable in his head. He had grown soft already from living inside at the estate. Far colder mornings had Kojiro awaken in those days chasing Pikachu with Musashi and Nyaasu.

"Are you alright?" asked the groundskeeper.

Kojiro nodded and after a grim pause began trudging for the house.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he said. "It just felt stuffy in my room.

"You could have had a servant turn up the air filter in your room," said the groundskeeper.

Again Kojiro nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks."

He did not have the will to argue at the moment. Really all he wanted was a hot bowl of miso soup and some tea.

To his surprise though, the groundskeeper smiled encouragingly, more as a friend than a servant, but Kojiro remembered that groundskeepers usually were friendlier than the servants inside the house who were usually all formality.

"Change is always hard, Kojiro-san," he said. He said no more but left him at the top step before Kojiro opened the door.

#

The last festival before winter was colder than usual this year when Kojiro managed to talk his parents into going, but everyone enjoyed themselves.

Kojiro could not help but wonder about Musashi — where she was now, if she was all right, if she made it back to base, if she had been assigned a new partner already. He remembered many festivals in many villages and cities and all the places they had seen in several regions far, far from here, but this festival could not help but remind Kojiro of those days when he, Nyaasu, and Musashi would admire and long for the festivities and fun and especially the food. Now he could buy whatever he wanted. The feeling was more than a little strange, but Nyaasu took full advantage of it eating as much fried food as he could get a hold of.

What was stranger, though, was that it was the company of his parents that made Kojiro's time here pleasant. They paraded, stiffly and formally, the red and yellow leafed carpeted festival grounds, but arm in arm in a manner that made them look like an old French painting. Jiro-san was in his outing suit and Mako-san in a pale dress and warm shawl with a red and gold umbrella over her head which matched the leaves beneath her. And they did smile and it was more than formality. Kojiro never felt so close to his parents than he did now. It filled an empty place in his heart that he hardly knew he had. Even with aristocratic grace, they acted like parents going to the festival with their son. They even laughed on occasion as they played some of the games and watched some of the live performances.

Nyaasu had mysteriously disappeared, but Kojiro hardly noticed in his enjoying what simple life had to offer in its celebrations.

At the end of the day even Mr. Niwa's comment of, "It's good to see what the commoners engage themselves in once in a while," felt like the warmth of a new and marvelous glow of life in the Niwa family. Inside, Kojiro felt on the verge of bursting with happiness.

Then he found Nyaasu hiding in the estate.

The cat had gone home early, and why had he been chase off? Nyaasu soon explained to Kojiro that Musashi had been at the festival too in full Rocket uniform, and she had not been happy to see Nyaasu. A food offering did nothing to calm her temper. Nyaasu had just barely lost her in the crowds.

Thunderbolt struck Kojiro's spine.

_Musashi …_ Kojiro thought.

_**#**_

_**Japanese Phrases**_

_Nani: what_

_Gomenasai: Sorry (semi-formal)_


	13. Peppermint and Bittersweet Chocolate

JMJ

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

Peppermint and Bittersweet Chocolate

_He was late enough as it was!_

_With his entry now destroyed, Kojiro did not know what to do. Collapsing onto the ground, he scrambled to pick up the pieces, but no matter how he tried the pieces would not go together._

_Why he wanted to enter this contest did not seem to matter. What the entry was supposed to be Kojiro did not even know, but he needed to fix it. Insanity overtook him as he fumbled again and again at the pieces, but the harder he tried to put them together, the more the wood splintered and the more the metal spokes crumbled._

"_No! No! No!" he cried, tears streaming from his eyes._

_It had to be fixed. There was not much time. There was no time at all! He could feel the weight of time crushing him into the ground as if the gravity of the earth had suddenly traded with Jupiter._

"_No! I have to fix it!" he cried. "I have to fix it!" Over and over again until—!_

"_Kojiro."_

_Kojiro stopped._

_Everything became still. His pounding heart came to a normal beat once again. Slowly, he looked up and was surprised to see a boy in front of him no younger than twelve by the look of it. Yet he seemed taller. That was when Kojiro realized that he was the same age as the boy. Surely he had reached his full growth before, but no, it must have been a dream. He was twelve years old, sure, and so was the boy, and all time seemed to stop between him and the boy in front of him._

_Aside from the age, all similarity ended between him and boy. The boy looked familiar somehow, but he did not know from where. With a calm, friendly face, and wisdom about him beyond his years, the boy stepped forward, not to mock but to help. He reached down and picked up the severed pieces of the project. Kojiro in a blank state held out his hands for the pieces._

_The boy then helped him put the project together, and it turned out to be a little house. Smoke rose out of the little chimney. The house was a very welcoming, warm place however tiny it was. It possessed the warmth and life of a beating heart._

_Slowly, Kojiro lifted his eyes in bewilderment to the boy, and the boy smiled._

"_Don't give up."_

And Kojiro awoke in bed …

#

Gentle puffs of snow danced past the window like tiny fairies or perhaps the dust they left behind. Maybe the glitter of a forgotten dream, it was a surreal beauty that caught the eyes like flame or running water as one watched from a high window in the warmth and comfort of home. Outside the display would also be of a magical sort with one in full winter dress and the knowledge of hot drinks waiting to warm up the winter adventurer once time arrived to go back inside. But if there was no home to go to, if there was no place to warm oneself, snow was just cold, wet, and even dangerous, and although Kojiro still saw with the eagerness he had not felt since a boy in this house as he watched the beauty of these snowflakes parading past the window of the room adjoined to his bedroom, he could not help remembering how miserable snow could be. When on a mission in the mountains chasing after pikachu and brat boys, snow was a stumbling block one could really do without, especially since Team Rocket uniforms were not exactly made for warmth even with boots and gloves.

More than the past, of course, Kojiro's thoughts were of Musashi. Kanto winters were mild and this snow fall was much earlier than usual and probably would melt away before midday, but he could not help but wonder how Musashi was doing. Musashi liked snow and winter, but all alone, she would be unhappy and cold. He hoped she was not hungry. He hoped she was warm.

Then Nyaasu broke his thoughts with the candid question, "You remember Wabafet, right, nya?"

The cat looked up from the bookshelf as he placed a book back into place.

"What?" asked Kojiro, confused.

"You kny-ow, _wa-a-a ba fet_! Nya!" said Nyaasu mimicking the pokémon's tone and strange salute.

"What about him?" Kojiro said and could not help but be curious where such a question would lead.

"He was a trooper, nya."

Kojiro made an exaggerated face. "Huh?"

"As loyal as pokémon get, nya," said Nyaasu.

"But he didn't listen," Kojiro pointed out.

"When Musashi used him in battle, he did," said Nyaasu, "and with more intensity than Arbok or Weezing ever did. They were loyal, sure, but they were the most basic pokémon you two ever had. Well, I suppose Lickitongue's pretty typical too, nya."

"Uh … are you going somewhere with this?" asked Kojiro, lifted a finger.

Nyaasu held up his paw for silence and closed his eyes with importance. "Don't interrupt," he told him.

With a shrug and a nod Kojiro allowed Nyaasu to continue.

"Arbok and Weezing kny-ow what they're doing. They kny-ew their masters worked for Team Rocket and did bad things and for a bad cause. They did ny-ot support it, but they love and have full blind obedience to their masters, and Lickitongue too." Nyaasu paused as he looked with distaste at another book on the shelf before shoving it back. "But it was Victreebell whose loyalty was unmatched against Weezing's once she got off your head. She loves you to death, nya! And Wabafet, well, ny-othing could compare to his determination in the Team Rocket cause, nya."

"Why? What are you saying about Wabafet? I don't get it."

Both he and Nyaasu apparently forgot Nyaasu's words about interrupting.

Nyaasu shrugged nonchalantly, and then turning to face Kojiro, he said, "Wabafet was always eager and ready for anything. The problem was he just did ny-ot kny-ow what he was eager or ready about, nya."

Kojiro frowned as he thought about all this a moment, and then he said, "You're being philosophical, aren't you?"

"N-yeah, I guess, nya," said Nyaasu. "How come you have all these books about dogs, Kojiro? _One Hundred and One Poochyiana_. _Lassie, Come Home_. _Stone Flareon_. _White Fang_. _Call of the Wild_. Wow,_ Old Yeller, _nya. Snoopy comics! Seriously, Kojiro, nya. Where's the cat books? How come people don't write cat books, nya?"

Kojiro squinted. "I don't know," he admitted. "I have _The Incredible Pokémon Journey_. That has a nyaasu in it."

"Nya …" Nyaasu sighed.

#

Peeking down the railing at the top of the stairs, Nyaasu watched curiously as the servants darted to and fro below. Everyone was in a great haste; though, propriety was maintained at all costs. It reminded Nyaasu of an emergency drill at a Team Rocket base but without the siren blaring. People scurrying about in black and white, except Team Rocket personnel, whether black or white, always possessed the added splotches red across the front in the form of the big, bold "R".

Nyaasu snickered as he thought, _What's black and white and red all over? A Team Rocket floor in a panic!_

Footsteps then echoed behind him, and Nyaasu jumped only to see it to be Kojiro.

"There you are!" Kojiro exlaimed. "Ready to go now?"

Somehow, Nyaasu had agreed to go out with Kojiro for a while on what humans and dogs referred to as a "walk" or even better "walkie" (dogs really like that term). Going for walks with no destination in mind did not seem to Nyaasu a form of entertainment, but he had to admit he was getting restless after being cooped up for several days because of the cold rain they had been having. It finally got cold enough to snow. Of course that meant it would be pretty slippery out there …

Instead of answering Kojiro's question Nyaasu thrust a paw to the servants.

"What's going on, nya?"

"Christmas," said Kojiro with a shrug.

"Really, nya?"

Kojiro nodded. "My parents throw a big party every year. It's been Niwa tradition since the house was built in honor of Aisling Niwa."

"The foreign girl who died, nya?" asked Nyaasu innocently.

"Yeah," said Kojiro.

Looking back downstairs again, Nyaasu licked his lips.

"A real Christmas party …" he whispered to himself rather than to Kojiro. "With pudding and gingerbread houses and potatoes and roast beef or maybe rare and expensive roast farfech'd and cranberry sauce and—"

"You get plenty of food all the time, don't you?" asked Kojiro, himself now innocently.

"Nyah!" Nyaasu waved a paw aside. "What do you kny-ow? Besides the food, this place must be decorated like crazy with shiny ribbons and shiny, round, playful bulbs and all sorts of n-yifty things like that, nya!"

"Yeah, it's pretty big," said Kojiro. "So, you wanna go out now?"

"Remember last Christmas, nya?"

Kojiro frowned. "What about it?"

"When the brat boy decided to stay in the mountain pass in northern Hoenn right in the middle of winter, nya …"

… _The steaming, liquid poured thick and creamy into the mugs one by one like gold in drinkable form. Warm, chocolate goodness patched with fat marshmallows shaped like jigglypuffs made the mouth water as the mugs were lifted agonizingly slow to the lips which would soon part for the pleasure of the tongue and the rest of the body beyond. In the glow of the Christmas tree and the soft music playing on an old fashion tape player set on the table near the fireplace nothing could have been more simple and homey in the most pleasurably sense of the word._

_And Musashi, Nyaasu and Kojiro sat with faces pressed up against the glass as the oblivious brat boy, his pals and their kind host enjoyed all these pleasures without them._

_Forget Pikachu tonight! They would have rather have had the cookie he nibbled on in his little yellow paws._

"_That hot chocolate is rightfully ours," Musashi growled as she shivered angrily in her thick coat collar._

"_Stop talking about it, Musashi!" Kojiro begged. "You're driving me crazy!"_

"_We just have to hold out till tonight," Musashi said._

_Kojiro sighed. "I don't know if I'll make it that long. I already think my toes are starting to lose their senses it's so cold, and I'm starving."_

"_Stop complaining!" Musashi ordered. "When we steal the kid's pikachu and the other pokémon we can take their food too."_

_Nyaasu who was not paying the least bit attention to the conversation began to drool at the chocolate inside. Bad idea too for he could feel it freezing as it left his mouth and hit the ground in the form of an icicle at his feet. He glanced down at it a moment, made a face, and then returned to the window with his chin in his crossed arms._

_Earlier, the trio had managed to snag some candy canes, but Nyaasu had already chomped his gone. Musashi was almost done with hers too, but Kojiro …_

"_Yeah," said Kojiro and tried to nestle up the warmth of his shoulders to his freezing face. "Yeah, that's right. We go down the chimney when they're all asleep, and if they see us they'll think it's Santa's helpers and go back to sleep."_

"Sou da ne_," said Musashi popping the last bit of candy cane into her mouth._

_With Kojiro's eyes glued with longing onto the rising and falling of the hot chocolate mugs, he would not notice a sneaky feline paw making its way for the candy cane clutched in his leather-mitten hand._

_Kojiro made a face and turned to Musashi. "Aren't we … too tall to be Santa's helpers?"_

"_They'll be half asleep," scoffed Musashi. "They won't be thinking about that, right Nyaasu? It was your idea."_

"_Nya!" Nyaasu cried._

_Both Musashi and Kojiro spun around just in time to see Nyaasu stuff the half eaten candy cane into his mouth._

_In shock, Kojiro looked down at his empty hand and then back to Nyaasu's chewing jaws!_

"_HEY!" he growled punching Nyaasu's face into the snow and leaping to his feet in fury. "That was mine, you thief! You criminal!"_

"_You bring it upon yourself, Kojiro," Musashi sighed._

_When Nyaasu removed himself from the snow, he felt too smug to have to slash Kojiro across the face with candy cane still in his mouth and his face not too hurt from the puffs of snow. He decided a snowball in Kojiro's face was good enough, but when Kojiro ducked and the snow ball hit Musashi …_

"Yes, I remember," Kojiro sighed like he wished he didn't.

"This Christmas will be way better! Nyah!" Nyaasu cried.

"Maybe …" said Kojiro. "But Musashi won't be there."

Both Nyaasu and Kojiro looked down a moment, but Nyaasu would not let melancholy get the best of him.

"Look on the bright side, nya," he said. "At least no one will make you eat snow."

"She threw snow at you not me," said Kojiro.

"She did it to you too, after, nya," Nyaasu pointed out, and he paused, seeing that this conversation really would go nowhere pleasant fast. Clearing his throat, he changed the subject. "So, nya … what was your favorite Christmas then?"

Kojiro thought a moment, holding a finger to his chin, and then his eyes widened with sudden memory.

"You know," said Kojiro, pointing forward as if Nyaasu was meant to look and to see what Kojiro was thinking right out in the air in front of them. "I think there was one Christmas …"

"The Christmas when you got Gar-Chan?" offered Nyaasu.

"I got Gar-Chan for my seventh birthday," said Kojiro, shaking his head. "No, it was at Uncle Akio's house."

"You're uncle's house is better than here, nya?" Nyaasu teased.

"Well—!" Kojiro started and stopped. "I don't know if better … oh, I don't know. It was different. It wasn't just a ball with fancy food and dresses. It was … a real family gathering. I never knew a family like that besides in books and movies."

#

"_Your Uncle," said his father._

_Both he and Kojiro's mother called him nothing else but that, and something behind their words felt distrustful as if this "uncle" was setting a trap for the whole family and was really was no relative at all. That in itself made Kojiro feel uneasy, but he could not decide what it truly meant however wild his imagination flew._

"_You uncle," his father said again, as the limousine came to a complete stop and the chauffer began to slip out the front door, "has been kind enough to invite us into his home after very little contact for several years."_

"_You ought to be on your best behavior," said his mother, "and show your Uncle what a proper young man you are."_

"_Yes, Mother," said Kojiro, nodding, and he wished he could have at least brought Gar-Chan with him._

_The chauffer opened the door for them. Mr. and Mrs. Niwa then strutted firmly with Kojiro between them, up to the broadly-trimmed front doors of the house. Mr. Niwa pulled the doorbell rope. It had a deep body-shaking vibration._

_The door then opened to a maid typically dressed as all servants at all relatives' houses as well as their own._

_Kojiro closed his eyes and braced himself for the meeting, but he could not have braced himself in a million years for the sudden exclamation from behind the maid._

"_Welcome!"_

_A great male voice boomed, yet that boom was the boom of a joy that Kojiro could only have imagined in an ursaring finding a honey hive. The little boy's bright green eyes popped wide in their sockets, and he stood in utter disbelief at the man who looked very much like his father in the physically sense save for a slightly larger build. Even the way he dressed was fairly similar though a tad wilder, but the great grin that spread across his face as he threw open the door to its full capacity and threw out his arms then to match — this made him look like an upside down dream._

_Kojiro had recently read _Through the Looking Glass_, and if anything proved to be close to the glass in real life this man, his uncle, was it._

"_Jiro! You've made it!" gasped the strange man confronting his looking glass image, looking stiffer than usual as the uncle stopped only inches from him._

"_I said that I would," said Kojiro's father. "I don't break my promises."_

_Kojiro felt there was a touch of contempt in his father's voice. Ever so slight. But with everything about Kojiro's parents, one had to be perceptive to see any emotion from them._

"_Oh, but you don't know how much it means to me you bringing your family here!" said the uncle, he nodded with grace, but a touch a humor somehow mixed in. The humor was not at all in mockery but simply in inexpressible joy._

"_Mako, it is good to see you," said the uncle with an affectionate nod, and turning with a beam that grew so wide, Kojiro felt he would melt on the doorstep even as cold as it was (his uncle lived in northern Johto). "And Kojiro! I've not seen you since your baby picture and nowhere else. You've quite grown up now, haven't you?"_

_Kojiro stared a moment very blankly, and then with a slight gulp as he regained himself before this great presence, he bowed his head as before a king and said quite timidly, "Yes, sir."_

_The uncle shook his head. "Aw, no, no," he said. "'Uncle Akio', is quite good enough. This day is for you, young man. My house is your house today."_

_Neither Kojiro's mother nor his father would say anything out of a matter of grace and formality, but Kojiro did not even have to look at them to feel their disapproval. The uncle was Jiro's older brother not his younger; that in itself made the man deserving of respect._

"_Yes, Uncle," said Kojiro in about the same tone as before._

_A sympathetic laugh followed, but soon afterwards the uncle realized that in his excitement, he had forgotten that the guests were shivering with cold._

"_Please, by all means, come inside!" exclaimed the uncle._

_He introduced Jiro, Mako, and Kojiro to his lovely wife and some of her relatives. Although a tiny woman, the aunt had a presence almost as large as her husband's, though, far more delicate in nature. After greeting Jiro and Mako with a gentle serenity, she nearly looked about to cry when she saw Kojiro._

"_Oh, darling!" she sobbed. "I'm so happy to see finally see in person my only Niwa nephew."_

_Kojiro bowed respectfully, and hoped she would notice him no more. He could not understand nor take this attention from these wild hearts that could not possibly be related to his family in any way however much his own heart felt a strange attraction to them._

"Hajimemashite_, aunt," he said._

"_Oh, darling," she said again. "Quite a gentleman." She paused thoughtfully a moment and then said, "I hope your growlithe is doing alright."_

_Oh, that was right! Gar-Chan had been a present from his uncle. He had never before thought about what that had truly meant, but his uncle had given him a present every year for his birthday since he could remember. Only now did he catalogue them together and realize that they were always quite different presents from what others gave him. Only now did he realize why too._

"_Yes," said Kojiro a small smile finally releasing onto his face. "The servants will take care of Gar-Chan while I'm away."_

_The aunt laughed but like her husband not at all mockingly. "How darling, simply darling."_

"_Now you should shoo out of here," she said quite suddenly._

_Kojiro nearly jumped at the suddenness of it._

"_That's right!" said the uncle. "The cousins are all upstairs and have been eager to meet you."_

_Cousins?_

_In a cloud Kojiro found himself led by the uncle himself up the stairs where the children would be. He found these smaller versions of their parents wilder than they, and at first Kojiro could not respond to these people who instantly grabbed hold of him like robbers to play with him._

_It was one of those things that one does not appreciate until years later, but never again did Kojiro go to the uncle's house. Never again. The only thing he ever heard about them afterwards was the year he ran away for good._

_A servant whispered quietly to another that the master and lady would not attend to the invitations of Jiro-san's older brother._

"_It's a shame that the master does not go."_

"_Hush! Don't talk like against Jiro-san, especially not with young master Kojiro studying over there. Jobs can be lost and propriety is always to be maintained in this house."_

_What had the uncle done?_

_Kojiro later dared to ask the servant who had thought it a shame._

"_I don't know if I should rightly be telling you, Kojiro-san," said the young maidservant. "We were told not to speak anything about it."_

"_Why not?" asked Kojiro._

_The servant sighed. "Well, it's only since they don't want interruptions, you see, but your uncle, Akio-san, when he was to be head of the estate he chose to ignore the betrothal and marry …"_

_Kojiro's eyes grew wide._

"_The Niwa family disowned him?" he gasped._

"_Not exactly," said the servant. "But my mother, er, the head maid. She told me, young master, that when Akio-san chose to ignore the … arrangements that the Niwa family had been in such a state that Akio-san feared for the dignity and sanity of his new wife and his future family. He gave his inheritance to your father, and he built a house far away to live in peace without the tightness of how the Niwa family had become."_

_Blank eyes grew even wider in Kojiro's head until slowly he looked on the verge of tears. It was as if in that moment his entire life made sense. He was kept from every being able to think on his own, his heart from love, his soul for strength, so that he would not deviate from the propriety of the aristocrats. So he would marry that awful Rumika and become the next Mr. Niwa of the estate. So he would never become his uncle, for as Jiro-san's only son, it would bring more than dishonor to the Niwa family if he should leave, it would ruin the line of the ancient family._

#

"Nya?" asked Nyaasu.

Kojiro shook his head. "You wanna go outside now?"

With a shrug Nyaasu consented. "But hot chocolate first, nya! We deserve it after what happened last year." Then he spun around. "Nya, Kojiro, what are you thinking about ny-ow, nya?"

Kojiro had turned away thoughtfully and was staring out at the servants below with a faraway look that Nyaasu had no desire to decipher.

"Actually …" said Kojiro. "I think I want to make stop on out walk."

"To that old man's place, nya?" offered Nyaasu with a raised brow.

"Yeah, so?" Kojiro demanded defensively.

Nyaasu rolled his eyes. "Ny-othing, but you don't ny-eed to prove to everyone you've changed, nya."

"That's not why I'm doing it!" Kojiro cried. "It's …"

"What?" asked Nyaasu.

But Nyaasu thought he knew. The expression on Kojiro's face told him that he although part of him probably was doing it out of some natural sympathy that Kojiro had always had and Nyaasu had always known he had had even when he was a Team Rocket agent. Hey, the old man was living all by himself and was rather lonely, no doubt. But Nyaasu also had a feeling that Kojiro was doing this because he had to prove to himself that he had changed.

Ever since Musashi left, it was as if Kojiro was having trouble believing his own convictions … as if he had a guilt he could not shake that maybe Musashi had been right all along, but maybe it was just Nyaasu.

"Nya, ny-ever mind, nya!" said Nyaasu cheerfully. "Let's get that hot chocolate!"

"Right!" Kojiro agreed.

#

"Okay!" breathed Musashi.

She pounded her fist on the crude, wooden table and glared down at the empty piece of paper in front of her. Twiddling the pen in her other hand then, she slid her chin into her first palm. A heavy sigh escaped her, and she tapped the pen against the side of her head.

"_Li_?"

Slowly, she lifted her eyes up across the table to where the great pink mass stood on the other side. Okay, so Musashi had gotten a little lonely and let out Lickitongue to keep her company, so what? But she was not going back to base empty handed. Trouble was, she had not gone far since she wound her way back to the Niwa Estate.

Her first thought was to snatch the hot air balloon, which they had been parked originally not far from the grounds of the estate, but when she arrived to pick it up it no longer could be found. She eventually got the information from a gardener that someone had taken the strange blight on the landscape to the landfill.

Peachy! Just peachy!

Oh, now in this little shack, Musashi was still steaming about it from time to time. The nerve of those people, throwing away their nyaasu hot air balloon like that. Not that she wanted a balloon shaped like that traitor Nyaasu's head, but she would like to have some better mode of transportation than on foot especially with it getting colder.

"Any ideas?" Musashi demanded of the pokémon.

"Li … Licki!" cried Lickitongue.

"Yeah!" cried Musashi, thrusting a finger in the air. "We dig a hole under the Pokémon Center … but first we need a shovel."

"Licki," said Lickitongue.

"Uh … how if instead," she went on, "I get a job there as a janitor or something. Then with no one there to distract me I can sneak up and steal the pokéballs when no one's looking. I can shove them in with the trash and …"

"Are you listening?!" she screamed to Lickitongue.

Lickitongue seemed more interested now in a ratatta nibbling on some nut or grain outside the shed window.

At the sight of the little scrap in the pokémon's paws, Musashi felt the same hunger that Lickitongue felt.

"Oh, for just a single rice ball I'd …" Musashi slammed her fist on the table again to snap herself back to the mission on hand. "So!"

Lickitongue looked back.

"Any questions?"

"Licki-i-i!" said Lickitongue.

"Good! But tomorrow!" said Musashi. "I don't feel so good today."

"Licki?" asked the pokémon.

"No, we don't need Kojiro or Nyaasu," said Musashi even though it was more likely that he was asking if she was all right and if she would not feel better if she got something to eat. "We can do this all by ourselves.

"Licki, li, li, li," said Lickitongue.

"Yes, I know Nyaasu was the one who made up the plans, but maybe that's why we failed," said Musashi. "His plans sucked, basically." Though, Lickitongue was perhaps saying that his master looked quite pale and that it may have been possible that she caught a bug of some kind when they stole that lunch from the primary school. After all, many of those children had smelled like flue and colds. It was the season for it.

"Licki," grumbled Lickitongue.

"Oh, what do you know?" Musashi said, and she knew perfectly well Lickitongue said that she might feel better if she at least found herself something warmer to wear.

She sighed. "Maybe … maybe we should go to the Pokémon Center and pretend I'm a pokémon trainer. Then maybe I can get a free bed, at least."

#

_**Japanese Phrases**_

_Sou da ne: Right (with emphasis in "ne")_

_Hajimemashite: Nice to meet you (for the first time)_


	14. Snow Drops

JMJ

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

Snow Drops

_Smog filtered into the room: a thick, soupy, smelly smog. Everyone at the Pokémon Center was at a complete loss. Of course even if they had had time to think they were too busy coughing. Before anyone could recover, they saw through the slowly lifting grey swirls two figures, and who were those figures? Who?_

_First to appear in full sight was the woman, and a tall, lovely, vile snake of a woman with long red hair and a confident poise._

"_If anyone asks us this or that …"  
_

_Then came the man who was cool, confident, and definitely someone to reckon, smirking mysteriously from behind a curtain of bluish purple hair._

"_The answer we'll give is society's sympathy …"  
_

_Their pokémon, Ekans and Koffing stood at the ready on either side, and the pair of villains continued before their unwilling but stupefied audience._

"_For the sake of preventing world destruction …"  
_

"_For the sake of protecting world peace …"  
_

"_To penetrate the evils of love and truth …"  
_

"_The lovely and charming villains …"  
_

"_Musashi!"  
_

"_Kojiro!"_

"_Team Rocket travels to any star in the galaxy and..."  
_

"_A white hole...a white tomorrow is waiting for us!"_

"_Ny-ante nya!" cried Nyaasu, leaping from seemingly out of nowhere and landing with neat feline finesse in front._

_Now the battle would begin. If only they had known what battle would begin at that Pokémon Center and with that brat and his stupid pikachu …_

#

"Oh …" Musashi moaned, clinging to a bitter sleep that was being nudged out of her by a heavy pink head. "Lickitongue …" she growled and squeezing her eyes shut again, she waved a hand sleepily above her head in an attempt to shoo the pokémon away.

Her jaw hurt, but that was because her face was pressed against the table upon which she had dozed off. She felt simply awful, actually, regardless. Then she remembered her plan.

"Oh, yeah," she said, lifting her head, but she moaned again and found it near impossible to rise to her feet. She managed it only with Lickitongue's help. "Pokémon Center. Right. Let's go."

She had been in far colder temperatures than this and not felt this terrible as a result. Hey, she had lived in this kind of cold even before she was a member of Team Rocket. She ate about as much before moving into foster care too. She could handle this! She could!

Then what was wrong?

Musashi did not want to admit that she was sick, but as she stumbled out of the shack and made to cross the grounds of the Niwa Estate toward town, part of her knew that she was headed for the Pokémon Center not merely to steal. Though, that would not doubt come into play later, she needed warmth, she needed rest, maybe some medicine.

"I'm not sick," she murmured, but Lickitongue knew otherwise, following close at her side as they trekked through the snow. "Not sick!" This ended more as a severed growl.

Her head swam, and thoughts of her mother strangely entered her mind. Miyamoto, one of the greatest Team Rocket field agents ever! Lady Boss had given her special favors and had more than once thought to make her an executive officer, but Miyamoto never wanted anything more than to be out in the field. Her prime had been during that few ten to fifteen years when Team Rocket had been run solely by a woman, and what a wild but satisfying ride that must have been before Lady Boss finally, and a little reluctantly, handed it over to her son as her husband would have wanted. By that time Miyamoto had already disappeared. She had been searching the world for a mew, an especially rare pokémon, but whether she found the creature or not she never gave up! Never lost sight of her goals!

They never proved that the remains they found had been those of Miyamoto. Maybe she still was searching. She had succeeded in ever mission she had ever been given, and Musashi knew that if she had been given such a mission, she never would have given up either. Like with Pikachu and the brat boy. Nope, never give up! That was the meaning behind Team Rocket. Never give up!

_But you did give up getting Pikachu_, a voice told her.

Musashi growled, but it ended up a little more like a whimper. She felt so tired, she felt so sick, but she could not stop walking until she reached the Pokémon Center.

_You gave up on Kojiro … _

Tears swam in her eyes.

That did not count. Her mother did not even have a partner. She did not need a partner. Partners just got in the way! Kojiro wasn't her partner anymore anyway. He despised Team Rocket. He said so himself. He screamed so, in fact.

_I hate him,_ she thought. _And Nyaasu too. Betraying me like that!_

She stopped and dropped to her knees in the snow.

"Li!" cried Lickitongue, wanting to know why they had stopped.

"It's not fair!" she cried. "It's just not fair!" But her voice was weak now, fever dream images of her thoughts spun round and round above her head. She could take it no more. "It's not fair! Stupid Nyaasu! Stupid Kojiro!"

She let her head drop into the snow.

#

A round, kitty face poked out from the top of the long dark green coat, and after glancing back and forth across the snowy grounds, he looked up at the chin of the true wearer of the coat. It was just cold enough to see a faint puff of breath from time to time from the mouth above the chin, and certainly was chilly enough for Nyaasu.

"It's cold, nya," Nyaasu shivered as he backed his head up a bit to block the air from reaching his neck.

"How can you be?" Kojiro wanted to know. "You got your own coat on, plus you're inside mine, plus you got fur — what's the matter with you?"

"It's _cold_!" Nyaasu explained with emphasis.

"Not really," said Kojiro. "It was colder in the mountains."

"But we're ny-ot _in_ the mountains, nya," said Nyaasu.

They were just returning from visiting the old neighbor. Kojiro had brought him a Christmas present. Not much, really. A little bit of Christmas cheer with a box of cookies and a card, but he did help get some things down from the attic for him. The old man had wanted to go through some stuff that he may get rid of in the spring, but he had had no one to climb up the ladder for him to get at it for some time.

Nyaasu had walked on his own on the way there, but it was far colder coming back for two reasons. They faced the wind now and, that tiny house was heated up like a sauna in comparison to the drafty estate.

Kojiro lifted his head out towards the slowly growing mansion, but just at that moment, Nyaasu's ears perked up. Kojiro looked back down, and Nyaasu leaned forward out of the coat for a little for a better look out in the wooded area on the edge of the grounds.

"Hmm?"

"What?!" Kojiro cried. "What is it?"

"Something's out there, nya," whispered Nyaasu, not moving otherwise.

Kojiro squinted, but still saw nothing but naked trees, prickly shrubbery, and snow.

"What?" he demanded.

Taking a bound out from Kojiro's coat, Nyaasu landed on the ground ninja-like and listened once more.

Kojiro followed Nyaasu forward a few paces when they heard a very familiar, "Licki?"

Lickitongue poked his head out from behind a dip in the ground.

"Lickitongue!" both Kojiro and Nyaasu cried.

"Li!" Lickitongue cried back, and leaping forward, he ran towards Kojiro and Nyaasu. Arms flailing as he bumbled along, and all the while, he screamed out frantically as if a horde of beedrill were chasing him.

"What's wrong with him!?" Kojiro exclaimed, leaping back a pace.

"Slow down, nya!" Nyaasu told the creature as stopped in front of them still screaming. "I can't understand a word you're saying!" Here he shook his as to scold the now halting creature. "What about Musashi, nya?"

"Musashi!" Kojiro gasped. He threw his face into Lickitongue's and grabbed the side's of his head. "Where?! What happened?"

After recovering from the unexpected move by Kojiro, Lickitongue spun around and started bumbling in the opposite direction.

Kojiro and Nyaasu looked at each other a moment and then bolted after Lickitongue. Quite outrunning him down the slope, they saw not far from the bottom amidst the trees and some leftover, autumn grass Musashi. She lay sprawled on the ground unconscious with her face in her arm. She still wore her Team Rocket uniform, and she looked almost dead.

"Musashi!" Kojiro screamed.

Like a runner for home base he dove in beside her. Lifting her into a seated position, he immediately tore at his coat, but he struggled so hard and he tried to hold up Musashi at the same time so that it proved near impossible to remove it.

"Nyaasu, don't just stand there!" Kojiro growled. "Help me!"

"Nyah!" Nyaasu cried, leaping as if waking up from a trance. "Just set her down a moment. It's ny-ot that cold that she'll freeze to death by you putting her down, nya."

Pausing to see the logic in this, he then gently set Musashi back down, and taking off his coat, he lifted her up and wrapped it around her.

"Musashi?" Kojiro said, trying to keep the tears from falling. He did not have time to cry. This was an emergency.

Nyaasu turned to Lickitongue. "What happened, nya?"

Lickitongue shrugged and made a mournful sound in reply.

"Whaddya mean you don't kny-ow, nya?" Nyaasu snapped and he crossed his arms angrily. "You're a lot of help!"

Sadly, Lickitongue lowered his head.

"Musashi?" Kojiro said very softly.

A barely audible moan escaped her. Eyelids flickered and life returned to her face; though, it was only to scrunch up very tightly as if a sudden bad taste appeared in her mouth.

Kojiro, not caring what face she made so long as she was awake, gasped so hard he choked: "Musashi! Musashi, it's me and Nyaasu! _Daijobu ka_?"

"Nya!" Nyaasu cried, leaping to Kojiro's side and leaned into Musashi's face. "Musashi? Can you hear us, nya?"

"Uh," Musashi grunted.

Sweat dripped from her forehead, and she looked very flushed and red, but finally she opened her eyes, and looking from Kojiro to Nyaasu's now silent, gaping faces, she moaned again, and closed her eyes with a deep scowl again.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

"Licki!" cried Lickitongue from the background.

"Musashi!" Kojiro exclaimed, at once trying to help her to her feet. "Come on, we gotta get out of here. I'll bring you to my place. Come on. Can you stand?"

Musashi allowed his help. She did nothing to protest. Opening her eyes once more, she stood beside him a little dizzily. At least her grumpy mood proved she was not so sick that she could not have an ill temper, but thankfully, she did not act upon it even if it was probably only because she was so weak.

"What happened, nya?" Nyaasu asked.

Musashi did not answer as she turned to look at him.

The coat on her shoulders began to slip, but Kojiro quickly caught it. Biting his lip, he wrapped it more tightly around her. She made no attempt to put her arms into the sleeves, and she turned to Kojiro with eyes flaring and the fire building so that she looked liable to explode even with the tears brimming in her eyes.

Kojiro felt the old fear of her wrath sweep through him. He began to lower his head as it tingled with the sensation of pre-pain, but just as he was about to take a step back from her to give her, Musashi abruptly fell into him, and would have fell right to the ground if he had not caught her in his arms.

"Musashi!" Kojiro cried again.

Although weak and miserable, Musashi still managed to pound a fist onto his chest. At the same time, she pressed her head into his shoulder.

"Why do you have to be so _good_!?" she wailed like a child in a tantrum, and also like a child in a tantrum, she burst right then into tears.

The liquid sprayed from her eyes as from two great faucets. Nyaasu jumped out of the way as ones almost fell on top of his head, and he watched the spout in wide-eyed disbelief. The other spout poured out onto Kojiro's shirt as she pounded all the more on Kojiro's chest.

"It is a good question, nya," Nyaasu pointed out.

"Nyaasu!" Kojiro snapped.

"Nya … sorry," Nyaasu said.

"It's not fair," sobbed Musashi. "Why can't you just be … _buh_ …"

His shoulders eased, and he rubbed Musashi's arms with comfort while trying to keep from crying himself.

"Oh, Musashi …" he breathed, and without warning himself, he hugged her.

This stopped the crying. For Musashi opened her eyes in surprise for a few seconds. Then once she took in what had happened, she hugged him back. When they parted, Kojiro kept her steady with an arm around her shoulders as they made their way back to the Niwa mansion.

Sniffling and shivering, Musashi was the only one who made any noise as everyone else, including Lickitongue, walked in silence. Before they got very far, however, Musashi lost her footing and tripped right out of Kojiro's grasp onto the ground again.

"MUSASHI!" Kojiro screamed.

But Musashi, whether conscious or not, did not look like she would be moving on her own any time soon. Shaking a little, Kojiro stood there blankly for a moment, unsure of what to do or what to think. "Oh, Musashi" were the words that took up most of his mind.

Then kneeling down, he scooped her up into his arms as best he could, and as she still did not protest, he resituated her so that she would not fall again. Musashi wrapped an arm around his neck but as weary as she was the hand slipped again and consciousness then truly left her.

Kojiro growled, and without waiting a moment longer, he bolted for the manor as fast as he could.

"Kojiro, nya! _Chotto matte_!" cried Nyaasu from behind.

"Licki!" cried Lickitongue behind the cat.

They ran over the moor-like grounds. As splotches, they flew past the whitened gardens, gazebos, and parapets. Kojiro exploded through the back door, panting heavily from his run, but he did not stop. He almost skidded onto the floor when turning a corner. Nyaasu had no trouble at all with his cat-grace, yet poor Lickitongue crashed into the wall at the end of the train. He was stunned more than hurt and hurried after the others with arms waving above his head.

"Kojiro!" Nyaasu called.

More than one servant had to leap out of the way as the odd party passed them by, up the stairs, through another corridor. Kojiro did not stop until he threw open the door to the bathroom. He nearly fell on top of Musashi then as he came to a quick stop. Recovering and setting her down carefully on the floor, he reached for the faucet and turned on the water.

The temperature was just cool enough to keep one from burning, and the bathroom disappeared in plumes of steam.

"Kojiro, nya!" gasped Nyaasu, and he stuck out his tongue panting from the chase; Lickitongue (though his tongue usually was out) did the same.

Behind them stood a maid, the head maid to be exact, and over the heads of the pokémon and the crazed young man, she took in the scene of the unconscious Musashi being lowered, uniform, coat and all into the water in the tub. She sighed a little; though only Nyaasu noticed her presence at first.

Kojiro leapt up in fright at the sound of the sudden voice from behind.

"Kojiro-san."

He spun around.

"Perhaps it would be best if the maid servants and I took care of her for this?" said the head maid

Looking down into the tub and then back at the servant, Kojiro could only agree. He nodded vacantly, and Nyaasu pulled him out of the room.

When Musashi had been bathed and redressed in a soft, warm robe over a white, lacy nightgown, Kojiro helped Musashi to her room. She clutched Kojiro tightly around the shoulders. The room had been only cleaned since she left and not touched since, so everything was still hers as Kojiro pulled back the covers and helped into bed.

"I know you're upset with me," he said with a sigh, and he lowered his eyes to the floor. "I guess in a way I can't blame you. But please, Musashi, stay here a while at least till you get well."

Musashi did not answer. She just pulled up the covers over her head and went to sleep.

#

There came a light knock at the door, and after a moment Kojiro poked his head into Musashi's room. Nyaasu peeked below.

"Musashi?" Kojiro asked, tiptoeing inside.

Musashi looked up from her bed.

"We didn't wake you did we, nya?" asked Nyaasu. "I told him to wait, but—"

"I was awake," Musashi grumbled.

Lickitongue, who had been waiting around in Musashi's room while she slept, cocked his head at the guests curiously.

Slowly, Musashi sat up, and pushing her pillow back against the head board, she leaned back against it and glared, an unwelcoming host.

"I brought you some tea," said Kojiro with a helpful smile.

"_Arigatou_," Musashi sighed, her scowl, turning into a weary expression.

Kojiro set the tea cup on the bed stand, and both he and Nyaasu sat down at the foot of her bed.

"Are you feeling better, nya?" chirped Nyaasu and scooted to the bend in her knees under the covers.

Musashi nodded. "Yeah. They got me something to eat and gave me something for my fever, so I'm just fine."

"Are you sure?" asked Kojiro wringing his hands.

"Yes," Musashi said plainly in return, but as she lifted her eyes to Kojiro's face, she looked about to cry all over again. She did not this time, but closing her eyes, she said, "I missed you guys."

Nyaasu hugged Musashi's leg affectionately. "We missed you too, Musashi!"

A little smile formed on Musashi's face, and she hugged Nyaasu in return. Nyaasu's face instantly beamed with delight, and he hugged her back tightly at receiving this unexpected attention from Musashi.

"Nya!"

Taking her cup then, Musashi took a sip of her tea and smiled, though with effort, up at Kojiro as she allowed Nyaasu to snuggle in at her side with her arm around him.

"Kojiro," she said, looking down at her tea. "I don't want to start another argument. That's what made us separate in the first place, but please, tell me, honestly, do you miss anything from Team Rocket? Do you ever want to go back?"

Tingles ran through Kojiro's body and his stomach did a lurch forward, but he did not reply at first. He did not want to miss it, but did he? She wanted honesty, but he had not even been honest with himself on this subject so insistent was he on pushing it away. He was so afraid, he knew, of being sucked back into it, and it would be so easy if he allowed himself. He knew it would be.

"A little," Kojiro squeaked, and looked away.

"Do you think you _would_?" asked Musashi. "We don't have to … I mean, things will be different this time. I promise. I won't treat you like crap ever again. We'll be real partners. You and me."

"And Nyaasu," Nyaasu added sleepily.

Musashi rolled her eyes, but smiled despite herself. "Fine, and Nyaasu. _Onegai_, Kojiro, think about it."

"I _have_ thought about it," Kojiro said.

"And?" Musashi asked eagerly.

Kojiro sighed. "Musashi, I thought. I mean, I know you mean it now. _Shitteru_." He bit his lip. "But if we go back to Team Rocket things will just slip back to the way they were, slowly, maybe, but they will. We'll try to go after that boy, Satoshi. We'll try to get that pikachu, and even if we don't it will be some other kid and some other pokémon, and we'll fail, Musashi. We'll fail again, and again, and again, and we'll be aggravated, we'll fight, we'll be miserable and pretend we're not. Age will catch up with us eventually too And … we'll be rotting away all broken and withered at some Team Rocket funded nursing home and have nothing to show for it except scars and brain damage of electrocution, and we'll still be bickering and whining, about how we never got anything, hitting each other with our canes, and and ... and …"

"Nya …" Nyaasu grumbled. "Lovely painted future, Kojiro, nya."

Musashi glowered into her tea cup, but said nothing.

Once more Kojiro sighed, and a different mood came over him. Looking Musashi right in the eyes, he said quite firmly, "Even if what you say does come true. Even if we, for some … miracle" he threw out his arms to annunciate the magnitude of such a miracle, "become top agents again, or even better than we were before, if we succeed at every mission given to us, if we get the adventure and excitement we craved with every gadget and get in on the Boss's deepest, darkest schemes, and we get everything we ever wanted: promotions, esteem, food, fame, honor, glory, what will that get us?"

"All those things you just said, nya," said Nyaasu.

"Quiet," murmured Musashi nudging him.

"Nya … so you going somewhere with this, Kojiro, nya?"

Kojiro squeezed his eyes shut. "It'll be empty. Our lives were empty. I could go back and handle everything else about it. You guys kicking me and bopping me, us getting electrocuted every day, and being hungry, and cold, and even _yana kanji_, but for what? All our suffering's for an old man who doesn't give a spit about us, and all he wants is for us to kidnap pokémon from their masters so they can be used either by agents to get more pokémon or in scientific experimentation. I … can't be part of that anymore. We weren't losers because we lost. We were losers because … because …" suddenly he remembered what Nyaasu had said about Wabafet, and he felt then that he knew exactly what he had been talking about. "Because we were Wabafet."

"_Nani_?" cried his companions.

"We never gave up, used every effort even when it was not wanted, and Team Rocket didn't even like us. And all that time we did not think about what we were really doing, did we? _Did_ we, Musashi?"

"Yes, we did," said Musashi dryly. "It's in our motto."

"Oh, when have we ever really followed that stupid motto?" Kojiro demanded.

"Always."

"You kny-ow, that's ny-ot really what I meant when I said that about Wabafet, nya," Nyaasu said with a shrug.

Sweat drops formed. "Uh … oh," said Kojiro lowering his head embarrassed.

"It's okay, Kojiro, I know what you meant," said Musashi.

Carefully, Kojiro lifted his eyes to Musashi. "You do?"

"Yeah, but I have something to say too," Musashi told him. "I can't stay with you. Team Rocket is where I've always belonged. I could never go anywhere else."

"You could stay _here_!" Kojiro cried, clutching crazily at the quilt and then he jumped off the bed, holding his hands together pleadingly. "Please, Musashi!"

"You're parents don't want me here," Musashi reminded him.

"They don't mind!" Kojiro argued.

"Yes, they do," Musashi pressed. "It doesn't matter. Thank you, Kojiro. Thank you for everything, but … I'm gunna tell you right now that when I'm better, I'm leaving for the base. Probably tomorrow."

"Oh …" said Kojiro in miserable defeat. "Okay."

He slowly turned to go.

"Kojiro!" Musashi tried to call, but Kojiro was already leaving the room, and he shut the door behind him.

Nyaasu turned the Musashi. "You kny-ow you like him, nya."

"What?" Musashi growled.

"You kny-ow you can't live without him, nya," said Nyaasu. "Why don't you just tell him that, nya. I seen you guys. You can't take your eyes off each other. You're both being silly, nya."

"I wouldn't marry Kojiro if he was the last man on earth!" Musashi sniffed. "Wabafet, indeed!"

Nyaasu paused, twiddling his paws a moment; then he frowned. "Does that mean you'd marry Takeshi before you'd marry Kojiro?"

Musashi closed her eyes and moved away from Nyaasu. "Get out," she said, breathing strangely.

"I take it back, nya," Nyaasu said quickly, but it was too late for that and he knew it.

"Get out," she said again.

"But—" Nyaasu started as he slowly backed away to the edge of the bed.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! GET _OOUUTTTTTTTT_!" Musashi screamed, and she kicked Nyaasu as hard as she could across the room. When he hit the wall, she still had to throw her pillows at him too, and she was reaching for the lamp too just before Nyaasu barely managed to squeezed through the door and disappear in fright.

#

_**Japanese Phrases**_

_Daijobu ka: Are you alright?_

_Chotto matte: Wait a minute_

_Arigatou: thank you_

_Onegai: please_

_Shitteru: I know_


	15. More Than a Good Feeling

JMJ

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:

More Than a Good Feeling

_Cre-e-e-e-e-ak …_

Very slowly the door opened a crack. Musashi's heart leapt into her throat as fleetingly she thought it was Kojiro, but when she saw the sandy-colored fur and the black-tipped ears down very low to the floor, her eyes formed into a deep scowl. She turned roughly away from the door.

"Nya … Musashi," Nyaasu started. "I'm sorry about earlier. You didn't have to—"

"Get out!" Musashi snapped.

Nyaasu closed the door.

#

Again, the door creaked opened, but when Musashi looked no one was there. She looked around curiously and then frowningly, for she knew it could only be Nyaasu. However, she was not prepared for the start in seeing the cat pop up on the other side of her bed.

"I brought you a cookie as a peace offering, nya?" said Nyaasu with a grin.

Musashi fixed her eyes on the chocolate chip monster of a cookie.

"Gimme that," she grumbled and snatched the cookie away, and stuffing it into her mouth, she said, "Get out."

With a disappointed shrug, Nyaasu slipped quietly out of the room.

#

A third time the door creaked open, and Musashi rolled her eyes as she anticipated that big, round, bug-eyed cat face poking through from the corridor. There he looked back at her, grinning broadly and hopefully, but she had no intention of forgiving the stupid cat just yet.

"Hey, Musashi," Nyaasu said hesitantly. "Guess what."

"No."

"I'm learning iron tail, nya," said Nyaasu. "It's going pretty well too, nya, and—"

Musashi sighed heavily and turned away.

"Nyaasu," she said softly.

"Nya?"

"Get out!" she snapped.

With a growl and scowl, Nyaasu closed the door.

#

_Knock! Knock!_

_Kojiro_? Musashi thought; it had to be Kojiro this time!

Nyaasu once again appeared at the door. Holding up a finger, he opened his mouth to say something, but before he could utter the first syllable, Musashi said, "Just get out, will you? I'm not in the mood."

"Nya, fine," Nyaasu grumbled, and with a huff, he shut the door a final time.

#

White, glistening snow flew in a great, wet mound over into the rest of the pile. The Groundskeeper may have snow-blowed most of the drive and walkways, but he shoveled the steps. The snow blower proved far too wide to cut across the steps. Kojiro watched with disinterest as he stood leaning against the door, slumping down now so low, he would be in danger of falling right to the ground on his backside soon, and he sighed.

The Groundskeeper finally shoved the last of the snow over the side of the steps, and then turning to Kojiro, he said rather suddenly, "I mean no disrespect, Kojiro-san, but if you find watching me boring, perhaps you may have better luck with a book or walk."

Gar-Chan, lying at Kojiro's feet, now lifted his head and cocked it at his master with a whine of agreement.

"I'm sorry," muttered Kojiro.

The Groundskeeper smiled. "Are you alright, Kojiro-san? Do you want to talk about it?"

Kojiro glanced at the Groundskeeper skeptically.

"I'm no gossiper," said the Groundskeeper. "I won't tell anyone else, but if you need an impartial pair of ears, I can spare a few moments before I move to my next task, if you wish it, young master."

Kojiro was not sure, but he felt that the Groundskeeper's words were perhaps too bold for the propriety of the Niwa household and the position between the servant and the master. It mattered little to him, really, but he found it curious that the Groundskeeper would be so bold. His parents would surely have hired people who knew their place.

"Is it Musashi-san?" asked the Groundskeeper; yes, very bold indeed. "Is she leaving soon?"

Lowering his head to Gar-Chan, Kojiro said, "Yes. She's not going to stay."

"Doesn't she like it here?" asked the Groundskeeper.

"No," said Kojiro gloomily, "but I can't really blame her. It's cold and boring here."

"True," admitted the Groundskeeper. "But _you're_ here, Kojiro-san."

"What?" Kojiro asked suddenly, feeling heat burning his cheeks.

"She's your friend, isn't she?"

"I … I don't know," said Kojiro.

Again the Groundskeeper smiled, and he leaned idly against the back end of his shovel. "You care about her, don't you?"

"Yes," said Kojiro.

"Then tell her, young master," said the Groundskeeper. "Tell her exactly how much she means to you."

Kojiro closed his eyes. "I can't."

The Groundskeeper laughed. "Why not? Girls need that, you know."

With a heavy sigh, Kojiro lifted his eyes back up to the Groundskeeper. "She loves … I mean, she wants to go back to Team Rocket. It's her life. I almost feel like I should do something drastic, but … nothing will stop her now."

"You want my opinion, Kojiro-san?"

"What?" asked Kojiro.

"Well," said the Groundskeeper candidly. "You may not want to do something drastic, but doing something unexpected might be helpful in this case. I think she cares more about her relationship with you than she does about Team Rocket or anything like that."

"What do you mean?"

The Groundskeeper shrugged. "Servants are not robots, young master, however much some people would like to replace us with them. We see and hear all. It can't be helped. We can put loose ends together when those who made the ends can't see them."

#

It was Musashi's idea to go to Team Rocket. Like Eve tempted Adam, Musashi took Kojiro to Team Rocket, except that they already were not in the best circumstances living with that street gang. Sure, the gang had become a bit like family to them, but it had become a very stale family life, and both he and Musashi longed for a change and something more worthy of their talents and lofty ambitions. That was when Musashi brought up Team Rocket.

Even by that time Kojiro knew enough about her to know that her mother had been a prominent Team Rocket agent. Musashi spoke of it a few times during their gang days.

"_Let's blow this scene, Kojiro, and I'll show you what a real gang is like," she told him with a wink._

_Kojiro grinned back just as eagerly. "Do you really think you'll be able to get me in?" he teased slyly._

"_Oh, they love rogues like you," Musashi returned with a sniff. "Trust me. You'd fit in better there than anywhere else in the world."_

"_Then let's split, Musashi," said Kojiro. "I'm ready for bigger things."_

"_Bigger fish to fry!"_

"_A fresh tomorrow!"_

"_It's waiting for us!"_

"_What are we waiting for …?"_

Kojiro still remembered that night. The spring ran had just cleared, and the streets glistened in the lamplights, lighting their way as a street paved with gold to their new life and new opportunities. He remembered thinking that night as he rode alongside Musashi on his getaway bike (a real bicycle, the gang could never afford motorcycles and besides that he had barely just learned to ride a bicycle without, yes, training wheels as he had never been taught to ride in his old life), he remembered thinking how free he felt, damp wind blowing against his face and through his clothes and hair.

_Freedom …_

_The same thought, he had when he first entered the gang, except this was better! He knew now he would be liberated in a way that would make him part of something bigger. The great, mighty Team Rocket, where, as Musashi explained, they would be respected and would have the life and excitement which would give them the range of the whole nation and beyond …_

"Freedom," sighed Kojiro.

Nyaasu looked up with slight annoyance from his bowl of rice.

"Nya?" he demanded.

"That's why I went to Team Rocket."

"So, nya?" Nyaasu shrugged.

"Why … why did Musashi?" Kojiro asked as if Nyaasu would be able to tell him the answer.

Shoving chopsticks with a pile of rice into his mouth, Nyaasu said with mouth full, "Desperation, nya."

"Then why's she going now?" Kojiro wanted to know.

"Desperation, nya," said Nyaasu again.

Though, Eve tricked Adam, Eve had come up with idea from somewhere. It had not been conceived in her own mind. Someone or something had to tell her first about it and tell her it was the best thing even though her heart knew otherwise.

An image of a deranged, bat-like creature with a wily grin and large yellow eyes flashed through Kojiro's mind. The hypnotic tail of a kappa-like creature haunted his thoughts. Kojiro shuddered. Those creatures did exist outside that strange world, didn't they? He pushed such thoughts aside for where that question came from, it did not matter now.

Could Adam and Eve be given a second chance? They were sorry for what they had done. Sure, they could not have the life they could have had if life was perfect, but in the end they still had each other, and they still had faith, and they were rewarded still, as rough and unorthodox as it must have been for them, with new life and being the parents of the human race …

Musashi did not have to walk off a cliff just because things seemed so confusing and desperate now that they finally had a chance to free themselves from the consequences of the decision they had made that night now a life time ago it seemed. Back when he thought he knew everything.

#

Musashi slowly stepped down from the staircase. She practically glided down with her conviction, but as she reached the final step, she leapt back in surprise at the sight of Kojiro standing in front of her.

"Ak!" she cried throwing her arms out.

The world froze a moment; then Kojiro with a small smile held up a coat toward her.

"You might want this," said Kojiro. "There's still a lot of winter left."

Musashi frowned, her arms falling to her sides, and she nodded solemnly. She took the coat, and her eyes faltered, and she could not look into his eyes. Throwing the coat on over her shoulders and slipping her arms through the sleeves, she kept her eyes to the article of clothing and said nothing. Not until she buttoned the last did she finally reply a small, "Thanks."

"Yeah," said Kojiro, his voice cracked and wished it had not.

Then her eyes lifted to his, and the look in her eyes brought Kojiro to tears that he promised himself he would not shed. Without warning as they stared into other's wide, swimming eyes they fell into a great hug. The tightest, most wretched hug perhaps in all the world. Kojiro grabbed onto Musashi's back harder that he had all the times he had grabbed her when they held each other in terror. The times they had spent together, the whole time they had known each other flashed before Kojiro's eyes in a moment. Even still he hugged her, and she hugged him back. For a good five minutes they remained this way, and neither loosened their tight grip.

Kojiro would have hugged her longer had not suddenly Musashi pulled away. He watched like one thrown against the wall out of sleep. Wild eyes watched in hopeless confusion as she withdrew, wiping a tear from her eye and turning toward the main doors.

She did not even say good bye as she pulled open the latch and disappeared, and Kojiro with eyes falling helplessly to the floor, almost remained rooted there, but the bang of the door behind Musashi suddenly freed him from his stupor.

He blinked, and in a wide motion, he dove from the door, and threw open the latch. He ran down the steps, and tripped over the drive. Musashi had not yet passed the now unmoving fountain as she walked through the wet, heavily falling snow quickly covering the groundskeeper's previous work.

"Musashi!" Kojiro cried, his voice echoing strangely against the house behind him as he lost his balance and fell to his knees in the snow.

Musashi stopped and spun around, glaring down at the heap on the drive. Kojiro rubbed his hands on his shirt-sleeves after having collided with the frigid ground. In silence she watched him a moment, and as he lifted his eyes, Musashi closed hers.

"I'm leaving," she said. "You can't change my mind."

Again, she turned to leave, slinging her bag of food and a few other things over her shoulder.

"Please, Musashi! _Matte_!" Kojiro cried, lifting himself up off the ground and walking towards her again. "You can't go! I ... I'll call the police if I have to!"

Her step did not change in the least.

"Musashi!" sobbed Kojiro. "You can't go!"

Reaching the foot of the fountain, Musashi groaned, and then swirled around.

"And why not?" she demanded. "I already told you, I made up my mind, and nothing you're going to say that'll change that!"

"But, Musashi!" begged Kojiro.

She began marching towards him, but not being threatened, Kojiro only lowered his head and fell again onto his knees. This time on purpose, and Musashi halted in her step and watched him look up at her with pleading eyes and clenching fists on his lap.

Kojiro choked back a weighty sob. "You can't go because … because I love you!"

Musashi simply stared. Eyes like baseballs in her head, her mouth gaped a little as she returned him with a look of complete disbelief.

Shivering from a sudden gust of wind, Kojiro closed his eyes and stared down at the ground and wondered if he should not have said that. He had to wonder _why_ he said that!

"You …" Musashi started, and paused. "You do …" Her words were as stupefied as her face.

At first, Kojiro was going to deny it, to say he only said it to get her attention, but he knew it would have been a lie. He said instead, quite softly, as she carefully approached him on tiptoe, "I wouldn't have said if I didn't mean it."

"But …" Musashi said very carefully as she stopped a few feet in front of him. "I thought you weren't interested in that kind of stuff."

"I wasn't," said Kojiro, "I made a promise that I would never love or marry any girl, but … I … can't live without you."

Squinting strangely, Musashi again looked about to bop him over the head, but as she lifted her fist, it fell again, and as she digressed, she even let her bag fall as she studied Kojiro again.

"Kojiro," she said.

"What?" asked Kojiro, and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying so hard to stop his tears. "I'm sorry. I understand. I know I'm not much. I know I'm just a—"

_SWACK!_

"Ack!" cried Kojiro as the bag of food collided with his face. Rubbing his cheek, he looked up at Musashi in surprise.

"Sorry, I hate hitting you anymore, but stoppit!" Musashi said flatly. "Don't talk badly about yourself ever again! After all we been through and everything that happened, you're the only guy in the whole world I could ever have a relationship with."

Kojiro bit his lip, face littered with uncertainty and eyes blank.

"I love you too," said Musashi in full explanation.

"You do?" cried Kojiro, his hands clenching again despite himself.

Musashi dropped down to the ground as well now, and she looked him in the eyes, though they began to cloud over with an uncontrollably swim worse that his.

"Yes," she choked. "I don't know _why_ though!"

"Me either!" sobbed Kojiro.

And they grabbed each other, crying like a pair of little children in the snow.

#

Above, their actions had not been unobserved, for Nyaasu had been leaning over the windowsill to watch the departure of Musashi. Now he laughed in humor and delight to see them so in the snow. Musashi wasn't leaving! And …

"I kny-ew they couldn't stand to be apart, nya!" cried Nyaasu turning to Lickitongue behind him.

The cat paused then, and stared down out the window. His laughter stopped, and he had a strong urge to go down there and get in on the action too.

"Be right back, Licki!" said Nyaasu, and with that he dashed out of the room.

#

Musashi did not even notice Nyaasu with them until Kojiro's standing up caused her to open her eyes. She glanced down at Nyaasu a moment said very softly, "Sorry about earlier, Nyaasu," but before Nyaasu could say anything in return, they were interrupted by Kojiro holding out a hand to help Musashi to her feet.

Nyaasu had no intention of getting in the way for the moment. Stepping back with paws behind his back, he smiled.

Accepting Kojiro's hand, Musashi allowed Kojiro to lift her up, and he brushed away some snow from her shoulder.

"Musashi?" asked Kojiro.

"Yeah?" Musashi asked.

"You … do you … uh," he faltered a little, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Will you be my … I mean … Will you marry me, Musashi?"

"But what about—"

"My parents already told me that I could choose whoever I wanted," said Kojiro.

A broad smile spread out across Musashi's face. "Then …" she paused a little but only for emphasis not because she needed to decide. "I accept your proposal."

#

A light knock sounded at the door.

Jiro-san and Mako-san looked up in all propriety, and Mr. Niwa said calmly, "Come in."

Slowly, Kojiro opened the door.

"Hi," said Kojiro.

"What is it?" asked Jiro-san.

"Well, two things actually.

"Tell us," said Mako-san.

"Well, first I was thinking," Kojiro began carefully. "Are you done with the invitations for the Christmas party yet?"

"Yes," said Jiro-san.

"Oh," said Kojiro; he hesitated, "but do you think it's too late to invite someone else?"

"Who?" asked Jiro-san.

"Well … Uncle … Akio, and his family."

At first his father looked angry. He opened his mouth to refuse, but as he looked at Kojiro's longing, childish expression, something passed over his mind. It probably had nothing to do with Kojiro's fervent face, but it may have had to do with the fact that if he did not invite his brother, he might as well should not invite his own son, for he knew perfectly well who Kojiro would choose that day he told him that he could choose whoever he wished to marry. That was why no surprise came across the parents' faces that after he and Mako-san consented to the invitation of Akio and Kojiro then said that now if his parents would give him their blessing on the matter, he would like to marry Musashi.

His parents only readily agreed.

They knew as he knew, it was more than merely a feeling. More than _ii kanji_, it was right.


End file.
